Darkened Path
by Ginny-Rose95
Summary: "He did not know what lay before him, on this darkened path, but nothing could be worse than what he was leaving behind." Magnus had left Alec, left him standing there as if he didn't care, without ever knowing the truth. Now Alec was doing the same, leaving without ever telling his family why. Warnings: MPREG, spoilers for COLS and Clockwork Princess. Crossover between MI and ID.
1. Chapter 1

Alec normally avoided looking in mirrors, even before the incident. Then, it had been because he didn't really care what he looked like, now it was because he couldn't stand to look at himself. Couldn't stand to see the hatred of himself in his own eyes. He wore a constant look of haggard sorrow, as if his whole life teetered on the edge of a sharp sword and his body was beginning to sink. His eyes were lined with purple and green, bruised and swollen red, even more pronounced with the sallow pallor of his skin. His mouth was a thin line of red, his bottom lip so cracked from biting it that it seemed more a bloody gash in the middle of his face than any part of normal anatomy.

It was not this that garnered his attention – they were just reminders of how he had destroyed everything, thrown it all away. He didn't need those reminders, not when his mind never wavered from them, not when they took up every waking moment and haunted every dream. No, it was not his face that had caught his attention as he was changing, but his stomach. Alec had always been slender, muscled as any shadow hunter was, but thin. Now however, his stomach was rounded, nearly imperceptivity, but there.

_Four months,_ was what Brother Zachariah had told him, the last time they had met. At four months he would begin to show. The bump was just proof that Alec was no longer in control of just his life – the proof that it was no longer just his to live. It was this bump, four months in the making now, that had kept him alive through it all. It was these unknown entities that had succeeded where Isabelle and Jace had failed. It was the reason he kept living.

For a moment, one hand resting protectively on the rounded flesh, he smiled. It was not, perhaps, a happy smile, it had been so long, it seemed, since he had felt an emotion like 'happiness' that surely his body no longer knew how to pull his face into any indication of it. No, this was a sorrow filled smile. It was this bump that he had thrown everything away for. It was this that had sparked the desperate desire to know _him_; the man who had helped create it. It was this that had caused him to go to Camille, desperate to know his lover, this that had ended it all. He should hate it really, but Alec could not bring himself to hate this tiny bump, this small indication of the lives growing inside him.

It was his only reminder of his happiness, those fleeting moments that burned as brightly as a flame but had flickered and fell like a match. It might kill him, Brother Zachariah had told him all those months ago when Alec thought his missing Parabatai was all that was making him ill. His body was rather obviously not equipped to handle such a process like childbirth although it had been a miracle to have even made it this far. Alec was not troubled by the idea. Shadow hunters were raised to never fear death but embrace the possibility and live regardless. And the idea of bringing these lives to the world, even at the cost of his own, was the only solace he found in his existence.

So he smiled, that fleeting upward movement, patted the small bump he should have despised but couldn't, and slipped his dark, mercifully, baggy sweater over his head. Brother Zachariah had been missing for some time now and only now sent a letter to Alec, telling him he was back and that it was time. He had been stripped of his Silent Brother marks, Jace had reported quietly to him as he sat in the dining room, not eating but showing his family that he was still, somehow, alive. He had done it voluntarily, although Alec could not fathom why. And it didn't matter really, if Brother Zachariah was truly a brother anymore or just another shadow hunter. He had become Alec's most trusted confidant in the months he had spent carefully separated from everyone; the only one who knew of his secret and the only one Alec could depend on to help him with this.

Alec regretted a lot of things but this, he pondered, as he grabbed his bag of necessities and his stele, and left his room, was not one of them. He had no idea if he would ever see this place again, the Institute he was raised in, and didn't know if he wanted to. Brother Zachariah had promised, in his letter, that he had found someone who could help Alec but only if he left and came with them. Who might be able to save him and the two growing inside.

Alec walked out of the Institute under the cover of darkness, without a word to a soul, and never looked back. He was smiling again, that sad smile, and felt free, for the first time in months. His smile did not fade, for once, when he caught sight of a tall figure, dark haired and Asiatic in appearance, one he knew instinctively as the one he called Brother Zachariah although he knew he must surely be going by something else now, and a slenderer figure, a woman with brown hair and the grayest eyes he had ever seen. They didn't say a word, not at this crucial moment, but began walking as soon as he reached them.

It was almost like walking with companions, Alec thought as he fell in step with the former Brother and the woman, a feeling that Alec had not felt since his life had given way. It was almost nice, and a feeling that may have been hope bubbled in him when the woman squeezed his hand ever so slightly. He was not happy; maybe he never would be again, but he was content in this plan, content to trust the tatters of himself with these two strangers. He could not stay here, with this secret waiting to reveal itself at every moment, where the memories of a past life haunted him at every corner.

He did not know what lay before him, on this darkened path, but nothing could be worse than what he was leaving behind.

* * *

Jace woke to a feeling of great dread. He could not say how he knew it, when he walked to Alec's room and knocked, but he knew there would be no answer. He had known this would happen, that he would wake up and Alec would be gone, for three months. Had feared this since Alec had walked into the Institute in the middle of the night, covered in blood and tears, and went into his room without saying a word. Something had broken in Alec that day and none of them had been able fix it.

He only hoped as he opened the door and looked into the empty room, his eyes stinging, that Alec could return one day, finally fixed.

* * *

So hey, this came to my mind and I really had to write it down. I don't know if I should continue it or leave it. If I continue, Jem and Tessa will play an integral part in Alec's and his babies lives. I hoped you liked it and will tell me if you think I should continue or not. Thank you for taking the time to read this, in any case.


	2. Chapter 2

Tessa watched the thin boy sleep as the train rolled smoothly across the green countryside. Alexander Lightwood was a troubled boy, she could tell, and it had taken all of her willpower not to embrace him when she had seen him for the first time, walking purposely from the Institute, his blue eyes sad but determined. She couldn't help but wonder if that was how Will had looked when he walked away from his family in Wales and despaired at the thought. She did not want to think of Will, not with Jem beside her and this new entity to worry about, but the boy looked so much like him that it was hard not to.

Something about Alec, she could tell, was broken, possibly unfixable, but there was also a spirit to him, something wild and passionate, that drew her attention. Even with his evident illness, Alec was a striking figure, tall and slender but with the unmistakable signs of the corded muscles trained and honed for battle, pale but with dark hair and the bluest eyes, darker than the sky but not quite violet. She could tell Alec struggled to stay out of the lime light, from the shy nature that had exuded from his manner, to the very way he curled among himself on the seat, sleeping deeply and dreamlessly, thanks to the rune Jem had blackened onto his skin soon after the train had left.

Alexander was a mess of contradictions, she saw; ill and broken but passionate and strong. Even now, far into his dreams, his arms curled protectively around his stomach, guarding the minuscule bump that Tessa knew must be there, invisible among the faded black sweater. She admired his bravery, in a way, much like she had admired Will's so long ago. It was not a conventional bravery, she knew, but one that garnered respect anyway. To leave ones family for what they deemed the greater purpose was an admirable feat and she knew, instinctively, that it had to have been hard for Alec to do so. So she stared at the figure, lumped into the seat, and marveled at him – marveled at how someone so obviously young could make such a momentous choice.

"He's something isn't he?" Jem's voice was soft, barely discernible amongst the low roar of the train, and Tessa jumped slightly at the sound. She had been so deep in thought that she had quite forgotten that Jem was sitting beside her. She turned to him, a rueful, embarrassed smile in place and he smiled gently in return, his dark eyes shining.

"Yes. I can't imagine what he has had to do. To leave everything like he did, to protect the lives he doesn't even know will survive. I do not know if I could ever make the same sacrifice." She confessed unabashedly. Jem just smiled again at her.

"I have no doubt you would have done a similar act if you had been in his position, Tessa. But I understand the sentiment. Alec is young, but he is a Lightwood, stubborn and prideful, almost to a fault, and entirely devoted to his family. When his brother – Jace – was in danger, he and everyone else went to such great avails to return him that even the Silent Brothers were surprised. Or more aptly, as surprised as it is possible for them to be. It does not surprise me that he made this choice, the fetuses inside him are his family now, are two lives interwoven deeply into his. He will do whatever is necessary to keep them safe."

"That's why he agreed to come, isn't it? For these children? Not to escape then, from his memories?" Tessa could imagine it, leaving because the pain was too great. She had done it herself when Will had passed; packed a few mementos and left. She had no desire to watch her children and grandchildren age and die around her and although Alec was not in the same position, she was sure watching those around him move and change with their lives, while he remained the same, was unbearable.

"I'm sure escaping was a factor. His break-up with Magnus was quite detrimental. They were both at fault, of course, but Alec has convinced himself so thoroughly that it was his actions alone that ended the relationship that will be nearly impossible to convince him otherwise. The main reason he agreed to come to Wales with us is because I know an old warlock here, who has said to have dealt with this type of sorcery before and knows how to help." Jem responded seriously, a small frown gracing his lips as he spoke. Tessa did not bother to hide her shock.

"This has happened before? A male has gotten pregnant? How is it even possible?" She asked, the curiosity unmasked in her voice.

"Legend has it as so. Five hundred years before you and I were even born, there are records a young male being seduced by a warlock and impregnated through dark sorcery. The warlock was killed of course, but the boy was supposedly taken to this witch for guidance and gave birth to a healthy child before disappearing. Some records indicate that the boy went back to the Shadow hunter world under a new name and taught his child how to be a shadow hunter. Others state that the boy, being in love with the Warlock, cut himself completely from the world and was never traced. I don't know which is true but there is enough evidence to suggest the incident really did take place and that the warlock in Cadair Idris is the very woman who helped the young boy." Jem explained quietly, a soft smile pulling at his lips. The story wasn't funny by any means but the idea that, after all these years, Tessa still thirsted for knowledge at every moment was a fond one.

"Incredible," Tessa breathed. "Does anyone know how it occurs? What makes it possible for a warlock to impregnate someone or for a man to carry children?" Jem just shook his head.

"No. I am hoping that this woman will have some idea. She is a stubborn one of course, and might not want to reveal her secrets to us. She refused to see us in any place but her own home. That is why we have to go all the way to Cadair Idris; she lives there and has done so for the last fifty years or so." Jem shot Tessa an apologetic look as he said this and Tessa flushed. She had not been back here since the time of the Magister and had no desire to return. But, she reflected, as she looked back at the sleeping form, avoiding Jem's sympathetic look as well as her own turbulent look, to protect this boy, she supposed she did not really have a choice.

Beside her, the wind howled as the engine roared, indicating the turbulent path she was about to embark on with these two men.

* * *

No Alec POV in this one but I kind of wanted to reflect on how Tessa feels about them and this adventure. I also wanted to have Jem explain the story because it sort of explains the possibility of this happening. The next chapter will jump a couple months, just to get the story rolling more. Not too much, just enough to get the three established somewhat. Also, one reviewer asked how Alec knew there was multiple fetuses. I figured that if the Silent Brothers could tell that Charlotte was pregnant and with a boy, they could tell if Alec was pregnant with twins, although in this case it was only Brother Zachariah/ Jem that knew. Thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed it. Magnus and the NY Institute might make an appearance next chapter, I haven't decided yet. I'll try to update as soon as possible.


	3. Chapter 3

So, I actually didn't skip ahead yet because I wanted to include this section, because otherwise it would have seemed disjointed and a little confusing. I hope you enjoy it.

* * *

Molly had seen a lot of things in her seven hundred years of life – wars, revolutions, celebrations, peace – and could honestly say that very few things. The three shadow hunters in front of her, however, were most definitely a surprise. One she recognized from many years before, when she lived in London. Then she had been the rather wealthy land lady of a Downworlder drug den and recognized James Castairs easily, even with his hair and eyes no longer silver. Another she had heard of, a warlock such as herself, an Eidolon girl who had fallen in love with the shadow hunters. It was rumored that she had born children, but Molly deemed it rather rude to ask her that, at least in this situation.

The last one was an anomaly. Dark haired, pale, and slender, all but a protruding bulge that rested on his abdomen, only noticeable at moments like this, when his sweater lay at his side. He was unmistakably pregnant, and although that was shocking, she had seen it once before, many years ago, on another dark haired boy, scared and ill much like this one. What was shocking, however, was the type of pregnancy the boy had.

"Mr. Castairs was correct. You are definitely carrying twins," she told the boy – Alexander Lightwood, she recalled. She ran her hand over his stomach again, chanting something under her breath. Double checking, although she knew it to be pointless. The idea was incredulous – twins in the Nephilim were less common than quadruplets in the mundane, twins with a downworlder parent however, had never been recorded to her knowledge.

Yet the two heartbeats beat in tandem under her leaf green hand, evidence of the two lives growing strong inside the boy. Molly could feel the power emulating from the growing lives – a pure mixture of magic and runes, angel and demon. The children inside the boy would be powerful, she could tell, although the idea was lost to the three in front of her, unless she indulged to tell him. These two children, demon and angel, mortal and immortal, would be unlike anything their world had seen, and she had the chance to be a part of it. The idea was tantalizing and fueled her decision.

"I will help you. I have seen this condition before, years before any of you were even thought of, and I know a process that can make the child bearing easier." She couldn't help but smile, seeing the look of immediate discomfort cross both men's faces. Tessa – the Eidolon Warlock just rolled her eyes.

"Ummm…. How… exactly?" Molly's small smile erupted into a huge grin at the blooming blush spreading across the fair cheeks of Alexander. He was obviously uncomfortable with the question, most likely with the whole process and it was with no small amount of relish that Molly explained it.

"Oh, the pregnancy will happen easily enough. Whatever magic used to give you the –uh – _correct _anatomy for it will ensure that the children will be carried as if you were female. When the time comes I got some magic that can take care of the rest. You'll give birth like any other mother." She chuckled openly at Alexander's horrified face and James's discomforted one. Even Tessa cracked an amused smile at it.

"Don't worry, honey," she told the boy comfortingly, or as comfortingly as someone grinning ear-to-ear at the announcement of being able to give someone a complete sex change at a moment's notice could. "It's only temporary, lasts about two days in fact. Wouldn't want to get rid of that particular piece, now would we? I doubt your Warlock friend would really appreciate it if I did, would he?" Molly had meant it good naturedly, as just a jibe to get the boy to feel more comfortable but it seemed to have the opposite effect. Her dark wings, normally docile behind her back, fluttered at the sudden, oppressive feeling in the room.

"He wouldn't care much, I think. I haven't spoken to him in several months now." Molly could tell there was a story there but kept quiet. Her years had taught her well enough not to pry and the broken look in Alexander's eyes was more than enough to convince her to drop the subject. She wasn't a cruel person and had no qualms with Shadow Hunters, let alone this quiet, sad one or his two companions. She switched subjects.

"Until the actual birthing, I should have some potions here to help give the proper vitamins to the children. Make sure they are healthy and carried full, and what not." She stood up and bustled around her counters, her wings flapping nervously as she busied herself looking for the proper vials. Behind her, the silence carried on, awkward and heavy in her normally cozy parlor room. When she turned around again, Alexander had slipped his tattered sweater back on and was rubbing his stomach absent mindedly, burning holes in her floor in what looked like an attempt not to break down.

Tearing her eyes and mind away from the boy and what could have possibly created that look in someone so young, she turned to James and handed him the vials. He smiled frailly in return, a vain attempt to lighten the mood, and reached into his pocket.

"How much do we owe for these?" He asked but Molly shook her head.

"None. I don't accept payment until after the delivery. Preemptive measure, really. If something happens to the fetus – or fetuses as the case may be – before birth, I don't want to have to refund the parents at that time. Tragedy enough, losing the child. I do however, expect you back twice a month, to check the development and administer potions as seen fit." James nodded and stood. Tessa did the same, followed slowly by Alexander who attempted a smile at the Warlock as they all thanked her.

Molly watched in silence as the three shuffled out of her cabin, James taking the lead and Tessa in the back, Alexander sandwiched in the middle in what seemed like an attempt to shield him. Molly could have called them back and told them, in that moment, that Alexander would need a lot more shielding by the end of this, if her assumptions were correct, but she didn't. She just watched them go, silently, and wondered.

* * *

Jace weathered the storm in what seemed like solid grace. Isabelle was screaming – ranting and nearly on the verge of crying. Maryse was even worse – she stood in the corner, silent and blank faced, as if the sudden disappearance of her eldest came as no surprise. Maybe it hadn't, Jace realized belatedly. Maybe she too had seen the broken nature of Alec's spirit and recognized the need he must have had to leave and fix himself.

"How could you let him leave? How come you didn't rouse us all the moment you realized he was gone? You know how he's been! The angel only knows what he could have done! We could have prevented this, found him and stopped him before he did anything stupid! He could be dead, Jace, and we are all sitting here, too late, because you didn't say anything! He never stopped looking for you, and this how you repay him? By not even trying?" Jace tried to ignore the words. Isabelle was upset, rightfully so, but the words still stung. He stood up.

"I'm his parabatai, Isabelle." He gestured towards his chest, where the rune engraved into him that indicated his connection to Alec, lay black and bold against his skin. "I'd know if something was wrong. He's fine, Izzy, at least physically. And I didn't stop him because he needed this, you know it, I know it, and Maryse knows it too. Something happened, something we couldn't have helped him with. He needs to fix it Izzy, and by himself."

"He could be hurt. Maybe if we call Magnus, he can help us." Isabelle looked doubtful though and Jace knew why. They had tried that in the beginning, but when they suggested it, Alec would break down, beg them not to go to him and whisper that it was all his fault. All his fault. They had never tried it since, and Isabelle was desperate to have even suggested it.

"No, Isabelle. We will not involve the high Warlock. He is undoubtedly busy, and we have other things to worry about. Sebastian is still at large, and as part of the clave, that is our first priority." Maryse broke in and Jace stared at her with something akin to surprise, a look he knew was mirrored by his sister. Maryse was not the warmest women he had come across but the way she put Alec to the side was almost cold. "Alec is eighteen, an adult in the eyes of the Clave, and perfectly capable of making his own decisions," she stated, catching their looks. She turned away and made to walk out, as if was the end of the conversation.

"If he is not back here in four months, with a full explanation as to his reasoning for leaving and a detailed account of where he went, we shall contact Magnus Bane and get a spell trained on him to track him and bring him back." She added before leaving the room and her two surprised children behind her.

* * *

So, like I said earlier, I hope you enjoyed it. I kind of liked Molly and I definitely like writing it in different points of views and hope you enjoyed it as well. Next chapter will jump ahead, like I said and it will feature Magnus (finally!). Someone in the reviews asked whether or not they get back together and I guess you will just have to wait to see, won't you? I included the segment about Sebastian just as a sort of reasoning for them not looking for Alec right away, this story will feature mainly about Alec, Tessa, Jem and the pregnancy along with Jace, Isabelle, and Magnus trying to find out what's going on. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it, I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	4. Chapter 4

_Four Months Later_

Alec was annoyed. It was odd, considering that for the longest time he was beyond feeling anything but despair mixed with the odd feeling of hope, but after four months, even if he wasn't necessary happy, he was comfortable enough to be annoyed. At eight months pregnant, his stomach was protruding quite noticeably from under his thick sweatshirt and he waddled more than he walked, a source of contention with him. This wasn't what annoyed him however, and he huffed angrily as he walked around in the crisp water air of Cadair Idris.

Jem, who as a Silent Brother had never constantly been around a heavily pregnant person, had taken to mothering the young Shadow Hunter, and Alec, a naturally independent man, did not take kindly to it. He knew, instinctively, that Jem was simply trying to make Alec's life as easy as possible and the transition between young boy and parent as gentle as possible but Alec had never been one for an easy life and the idea of someone, a person who looked no older than him, trying to suddenly rectify that was ridiculous.

Alec stopped by a large oak tree, its branches shaking in the wind, spraying down soft flakes of snow from its top as it swayed, and leaned against it, one hand rubbing absently on his stomach as he looked out onto the crisp wintry morning. It was quite beautiful, in a somber way, the white of the snow and the pale blue of the sky washing everything out into colors of charcoal and silver, with a few splotches of color to highlight buildings with luxuriantly bright colors. It was whimsically beautiful, but nothing like the wintry months of New York City, where the bright color of the snow contrasted with the neon lights of the city, where the sound of softly falling snow could not quite mask the sounds of the city life.

Alec wasn't going to lie to himself – Jem and Tessa had been working these four months on him accepting his emotions and feelings and he was much better at it – he missed New York. Standing out in the snowy fields out of Whales, staring at the vast emptiness, dotted with simple cottages and stone buildings, merely expounded on the feeling. He missed the smoggy air, the loud cries of millions of people all around him, the cars and the lights. He had been raised in the city, and the silence of the countryside, even with months of getting used to it, was disconcerting.

Without even realizing it, as if the thoughts were interwoven with the very city he had called home, he thought of his family. He knew they must be worried; months had stretched by without Alec even sending a letter or a postcard, just to tell them he was alive. He had thought about it, even written the letters, explaining in detail why he left, and they all sat crammed into a tiny box hidden under his bed. He never sent them because he knew, no matter how detailed he got, he could not convey the raw emotions he felt about the situation.

With no small amount of sadness or fondness, he thought about what they must be doing. It was only November but Isabelle, so in love with the Christmas season, must already be begging their mother for a tree and window shopping for gifts. Jace, who generally took the holidays with graceful contentment, must have been excited to have Clary, the love of his life, to spend it with. He could imagine them, Clary laughing with her red hair billowing around as Jace twirled her around in the snow, and his heart lurched painfully.

He remembered how, not so long ago although it felt like ages, he thought he had fallen in love with Jace. He could even remember the exact moment that he realized his love was nothing more than brotherly affection, when Jace had stood in front of him, his golden eyes flashing and blood dripping from his knuckles as he demanded that Alec kiss him. Alec even remembered, with perfect clarity, what face had actually flown through his mind at that moment, when he should have been thinking solely of Jace.

Alec abruptly tried to end the train of thought, but it was too late. Magnus's face shot through his mind like a shooting star through the sky, beautiful but fleeting, and always destined to fall. He could remember the exact curve of his lips, how his bottom protruded ever so slightly from the top when he pouted, how his onyx eyebrows had quirked upwards when he was amused. He could remember the exact shade of his feline shaped eyes, and how the colors flashed with his emotions, from the golden hazel of amusement to the smoldering ochre of arousal. He remembered the exact shade of his tanned skin and the way it felt under his hands, toned but still soft, definitely masculine but with the touch of femininity that perfectly encompassed the gist of his former lover.

He hated it, but Alec knew Magnus would always be a part of him and that the tug of his heart would never go away. No amount of time could ever lessen the impact of seeing Magnus's eyes every time he closed his own. No amount of time could soften the blow of hearing Magnus's parting words every night, as he tossed and turned in his too wide, too empty bed. The pain was eminent and a dull throbbing constant in his life now.

Pain shot through him. A hot, physical pain that originated in his lower abdomen and chased away the mental pain. Sensing that something was wrong, deeply wrong, Alec turned back towards the small cottage he shared with Jem and Tessa, one hand clutching his bulging abdomen. He managed one, two steps before another pain, a sharp jabbing feeling, shot through him and he gasped loudly and crouched over, clutching his stomach. Fear shot through him as he stood there, and all thoughts of anything besides his unborn children was flung from his mind.

If anything happened to the unborn fetuses inside him, he knew, nothing would ever surpass the pain of it.

* * *

"What did you do now?" Tessa asked, a thin layer of exasperation masking her amusement, as the door shut behind Alec with a sharp crack. Jem, his dark eyes suddenly bashful, did not answer. He didn't need to either, Tessa could clearly piece together what had happened, what with Alec's bow sitting neatly on the dining table. Jem, as the months of Alec's pregnancy dragged on, had become increasingly worried that something would happen, a direct contrast to his carefully constructed emotive disattachment as a Silent Brother and his calm demeanor of his boyhood. Undoubtedly, they had rowed about the amount of physical excursion Alec should be allowed to put himself through, so far into the pregnancy. Judging by the huffy way Alec had left and the bow on the table, Jem had won.

Tessa remembered how Will had been with her first pregnancy, always hovering, always worrying and snorted. It seemed, no matter how different the two had been, Will and Jem were very similar in their dealings with pregnancy and pregnant people. Meaning of course, that they could hardly handle them at all.

"I don't want him to over-stress himself. You know what Molly said, it wouldn't be good for the babies. I just don't want something to happen because he physically exhausted himself. That's all." Jem was still keeping his eyes away from her, as if he knew instinctively that she would side with Alec on the issue and Tessa rolled her eyes as he busied himself with the dishes, an oddly mundane task that even months of living with him had not gotten her used to it.

She watched him for a few moments, judging on whether or not he was going to look at her or not, before snorting and turning her attention to the boy outside. Alec had improved a lot over the last few months, even beginning to laugh and joke along with Tessa and Jem. It was only moments like this, when he was all alone that one could see his still deeply intoned unhappiness. Tessa knew exactly what could heal that particular scar but the idea of going to his lover behind Alec's back was an unattractive one.

Still, she had known Magnus Bane for years and the idea that he would not have forgiven Alec, for whatever discretion, after all this time was unconceivable. Especially when he heard that Alec was carrying his children, a fact he had spent all eight hundred of years thinking could never happen. She felt guilt for not even trying to inform Magnus on the issue but she knew that her guilt would be so much greater if she betrayed Alec's trust and told him. So she didn't. Still, it was painful to watch Alec in the cold, the unhappiness clear on his face, and her heart went out to both men. One for the knowledge that he was burdening himself with, one for his ignorance.

So deeply in thought, she didn't realize that her sight had shifted from Alec to the snow falling gently around him, not until Jem's alarmed voice tore through her thoughts. Shaking herself free, she glanced at Jem and then where his outstretched hand was pointing.

"Oh God." She whispered as she caught sight of Alec bent over, obviously in pain. With barely a pause and a deep feeling of dread, both she and Jem took off out the door, towards the young man.

* * *

Jace woke with a start, a deep pain slashing through his chest and rendering a wordless shout from his throat. The pain faded away as quickly as it had come but left him breathless and panting. He had been dreaming of Alec, that he was standing in a snowy field, the striking darkness of his hair creating a halo of white around his figure, when the pain had torn the image into pieces and flung him viciously back into the real world.

Clutching his chest, he registered the banging at his door and shouted that it was open. Isabelle and Maryse, both obviously cautious and with weapons in both of their hands, burst through the door. Instead of being greeted by the intruder they were obviously expecting, they came across the pale and panting Jace, clutching at his chest.

"Call…Magnus," Jace breathed, rubbing the sharp, elegant inky blackness of his Parabatai rune, where the aftershocks of the pain were still throbbing through him, "Something's wrong… with… with Alec."

* * *

Well, this was certainly dramatic, way more so than I had originally intended for this chapter but it kind of took a mind of its own when I sat down to write it. I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, even without Magnus. I had meant to write him into this one but it kind of got a bit longer than I was expecting and it's getting sort of late from my end so you'll will just have to wait until next chapter, I'm afraid. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hoped you enjoyed it, I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	5. Chapter 5

Magnus sighed deeply as he looked across the strewn mess of his apartment. He used to love the aftermath of a party, the mess of glitter, drinks, and the occasional splotch of blood that would coat the floor, the smells of perfume and magic that would permeate the air. Now however, the sight just made him depressed. He had spent some of the night glancing at untidy black hair, searching for blue eyes he knew he wouldn't find, and the rest of the night absorbed in memories of when he had seen that very combination.

Alec had never been fond of the parties Magnus constantly threw and it had been a great time to rile the young, antisocial shadow hunter without fear of repercussion but with the distinct reward of that beautiful pink blush that would always accompany his words. He could remember vividly, the first moment he had seen Alec, all grown up, with those mesmerizing eyes and sweet glances. He had been an odd mixture of boldness and shyness and Magnus had been drawn to it.

He was still drawn to it, he acknowledged with no small amount of self derision. It was stupid, to still have feelings for Alec, after all that happened; he had bounced back much faster from other nasty endings. Then again, he had never quite had a lover like Alec; someone who was such a perfect mixture of strength and tenderness, innocence and cynicism, boldness and insecurity. He had never loved someone, he could acknowledge, as strongly as he loved Alec.

It had been stupid of him, in hindsight, to have allowed himself to fall so hard for the young man, but what had started out as simple fun had quickly turned into something deeper, much faster than Magnus could ever have anticipated. Now, he was stuck here, sitting in his living room, staring at the aftermath of a party he had not even enjoyed, thinking of a boyfriend who he had left months before. It was pathetic, really. He should have never thought they would last, a shadow hunter and a Warlock.

A knock interrupted his thoughts; a loud incessant knock. Probably some drunk werewolf or faerie who had forgotten something and viewed it as a dire situation in their inebriated state. Magnus ignored it and began the arduous task of cleaning up the apartment by hand. He could have magicked it all away, he knew, but the simple minded task would keep his thoughts from straying back to forbidden territory and the long time it would take might just make him able to sleep dreamlessly when he finally fell into his bed. It would be nice, not to dream of tragic blue eyes for once.

The knocking began again, and Magnus paused mid movement to listen. The knocking was not just incessant, he realized, but sharp and quick, as if the visitor was desperate to get to Magnus. Panicked even. Magnus knew instinctively, then, that it was much more than some intoxicated pixie searching for her lost whatever. In several long strides, he crossed his living room and through open his door.

And was greeted by the sight of Jace, his golden hair tousled, still in his night cloths, with panicked tawny eyes. His arm was still outstretched, the golden fire flickering just under the surface of the tanned skin. Magnus immediately scanned behind him, half hopeful half dreading, and was disappointed to only see Isabelle, her dark hair thrown hastily into a bun, her night gown flapping slightly as she bounced almost imperceptively on the balls of her feet. Magnus went to close the door.

"Wait." Jace said, placing his hand on the door in an attempt to stop Magnus from shutting them out. His voice was hoarse, as if he were deathly ill, and his face was flushed an unhealthy red, as if he had ran a great distance in a very short amount of time. Magnus had seen a look like that, years ago, when Will Herondale had stood, dripping water onto Camille's immaculate parlor room, begging him to help break a curse that had never existed. Magnus hesitated.

"Why should I, Nephilim?" his voice was decidedly cool, and with only a little effort he achieved a haughty look of uninterest. He had told Alec, all those months ago, that he did not want shadow hunters crawling to his door, demanding help as if he were indebted to them. He had expected them to respect that.

"We need your help." Jace told him unabashedly. Magnus arched an eyebrow, conveying silently how little he cared, and went to shut the door again.

"Please Magnus. We know you are still upset about whatever happened with you and Alec, but please, you have to help us." It was Isabelle this time, who tried to appeal to him, her eyes and voice filled with a look he had only seen once on her, after her brother's body had been discovered hiding under a bed in an upstairs room of the house she had been in. Still, anger managed to push through any dread or pity he might have felt, and flashed through him. What did she know, this pretty, mortal girl who had never felt the pain of being so thoroughly betrayed by a dear one like he had?

"I have to do no such thing. I told your brother I wanted nothing to do with your sorts and I meant it. Now leave." Magnus told them curtly. He had no desire to get reinvolved in the intricacies of the Nephilim world; not when he should have never allowed himself to be involved with it in the first place. He turned away from the duo, hoping that they would catch the hint and just leave him alone already.

"You still love him." Jace's voice, smooth now, and absolutely confident in his words, rang out. Magnus stopped dead, but did not turn around. Instead he listened intently, heart pounding incessantly, as Jace continued. "When you saw me, you looked immediately to my right, where Alec would have stood, had he been here. And you were disappointed when he wasn't there. You still love him." Magnus turned around slowly and stared at the ochre eyed young boy, Isabelle but a distant shadow behind him.

"What does it matter how I feel or felt about one of you? That was long ago Jace, and I have no interest in revisiting the past." He stared resolutely at the young boy, wishing that his words could have actually been true, wishing he actually felt the way he had spoken about. Jace stared back, unperturbed.

"It matters because when you love someone with the entirety of your being, you would do anything for them, no matter what they had done to you. Alec is _missing_. He has been for about four months now and I didn't think anything of it for that entire time because I thought he needed to be alone, needed to redefine himself after you left him, but now he's in trouble." He pointed to his chest, were Magnus knew from seeing Alec's, his Parabatai rune lay. "My Parabatai rune burned me. I don't know why, but I know it was painful and I know it couldn't have been good. Something's happened and we need your help to find him before its too late. No matter what happened to you two Magnus, if you ever loved him, truly, you would let us in right _now_ and help us."

Magnus stared at the determined boy before him, barely resisting the urge to flinch as the words hit him. It was not the accusations that hurt, he had expected them for months really, but the very idea that Alec could be hurt. No matter how upset he was, no matter how hurt or betrayed, his heart still belonged to the shy, blue-eyed boy. It only took a moment to make his decision, and he knew really, that the moment Alec was mentioned, there had never been a decision to make.

"Come in," he told them quietly, "and tell me everything, quickly now."

* * *

So, the plus side is that Magnus has finally been introduced (and I really hope I did him justice, please tell me if you think I need to improve it anywhere). The down side is that I did not realize how long his section would be so I didn't get to Alec this chapter, so you will have to wait to find out what's going on with him (sorry). I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter and that Magnus made up for the wait it took to get him into the story, and I will try to update as soon as possible. Thank you for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

"Braxton Hicks contractions?" Alec asked, slightly disbelievingly. He was carefully laying on Molly's small bed her spare bedroom, one hand resting protectively on his bare stomach. "But I've had those before, they weren't nearly as bad. I felt like I couldn't walk at all when these hit," Tessa, standing beside him with Jem, placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, no doubt sensing his aggravation. He did not really mean to contradict Molly; she was really the best at what she did, but his nerves were frayed past anything he'd felt before. He'd never been so afraid in his life, than the moment the pain had torn through his abdomen.

"I'm well aware of the things you have experienced throughout your pregnancy, Alexander," Molly's voice was kept lightly patient, soft and gentle, and Alec appreciated the attempt to being reassuring, "but the contractions were mixed with fetal movement, which caused the compounded discomfort, I assure you it was nothing but a scare." Alec felt the tension leave his body at that and heard both Jem and Tessa sigh in relief. Just some restlessness; he could relate to that, especially in the last few months.

"However," Molly continued, with just a bit of an edge to her voice, "I want to monitor you in the next few weeks. I'm going to have you stay here, on bed rest, until the twins are born, I'm afraid." Alec immediately tried to sit up, a protest on his lips, but was pushed back gently but firmly onto the bed by Jem. Alec turned to him, mouth open to protest vehemently, but Molly spoke up again. "It might have just been a scare this time, Alexander, but it might not next time. This late in the pregnancy, especially with twins, you can give birth at any time, especially if there is added strain." At this she gave Alec a pointed look, and he flushed.

"I understand that things are hard Alexander," Molly continued, very softly, her pale green hand moving to rest on Alec's own, her wings lying docile on her shoulders, "I know that there are things that you have no control over, things in your past you haven't dealt with fully, but right now, we need to concentrate on the twins. And stress can be very detrimental at this moment, especially with magical children. They can be three times as sensitive as regular shadow hunter children, more so if they were fathered by a powerful warlock." Magnus flashed through Alec's mind, the witch light flaring in his hand in a way he had never seen before, and nodded.

"Alright," he said, sighing and laying as comfortable as possible in the small bed, trying to find contentment for the next month. He saw the relief flood momentarily in Molly and sensed that the same went through Tessa and Jem; no doubt they had imagined a more vicious fight then Alec was going to give. "I'll just do nothing but lay here for the next month," he tried to inject some semblance of enthusiasm into his tone but knew it had fallen flat. Molly grinned, her naturally good mood returning at Alec's obvious discomfort.

"Don't worry, Alexander, I got some good books you can read. Pregnancy books and what not, so you can read up on what to expect on the whole bloody affair. It'll be fun." Alec resisted the urge to glare at the petite warlock, and patted his stomach gently.

"Fun, right." He replied, not even bothering to hide his sarcasm. Tessa snorted beside him and Jem, he saw when he glanced at them, was smiling slightly in obvious amusement.

"Oh cheer up, sweetheart. Twins have a tendency to come early, they could be here and kicking the air instead of your rib cage by the end of the week. You might not need to spend a month in bed." Alec paled at the thought. As much as he wanted to actually meet the tiny lives inside of him, the ones he had given up so much for, the idea of actually giving _birth _was terrifying. Molly's easy grin didn't really help his nerves either.

Alec rubbed his protruding stomach gently. _I'm doing this for you two, _he thought towards them silently. In response, a light, fluttering movement flashed underneath his fingers.

* * *

Magnus admired Isabelle, he really did. She was strong, wildly independent, and every bit as intelligent as Alec or Jace. She was beautiful but snarky, and confidence and power exuded from her very presence. He rather liked her, most of the time. Now however, he felt very much like cursing her hideous or mute, or maybe even just hitting her. Anything really, would have done at the moment.

"You walked in on Alec vomiting profusely months ago, and are only telling us _now_?" He demanded, stopping the pacing he had started since her announcement, to glare at the girl. He knew, in reality, that he was being rather unfair, that he was frustrated beyond belief and was merely taking it out on Isabelle. The sulfuric smell of failed magic was tainting his living room air; the after effects of a failed tracking spell were strewn across the pentagram he had carefully constructed from the black chalk Jace had supplied for him. He had not only been unable to locate Alec; the spell had literally exploded from his efforts.

"He begged me not to say anything, Magnus." Isabelle retorted, her dark eyes staring reproachably at him, daring him to interrupt her, which was precisely what he had been about to do. "He was just sitting on the floor, almost to tears, Magnus, and literally _begging _me not to say anything. What was I going to do? Go against his wishes? And I never found him sick again, I thought it was some passing bug, how was I to know he was just hiding it?" She told him, flipping her hair away from her face with an annoyed flick of her wrist.

Magnus was about to respond, too frustrated to let the subject drop, when Jace, perched on the back of his couch like some overgrown kitten, interrupted him. "Could it be some illness making it impossible to track Alec? A demon sickness maybe?" Magnus bit his lip, a horribly mundane habit he had picked up from his former lover, and sifted through thousands of memories, trying to grasp at any that would be relevant. Images of Camille rose up, her pale hair bright against the light of her parlor room, eyes glaring unabashedly at him as he stood calmly beside a dark haired youth. Magnus shook them away.

"The only one I know about is Vampirism, but I highly doubt Alexander has been turned. The only other idea I can come up with is that he is being shielded by someone's or something's magic. They would have to be stronger than me though, to not only hide him but destroy the tracking spell as well," he told the two, uncrossing his arms and running his hand through his black hair in an effort to calm himself.

"I suppose that's rare." Jace retorted in typical fashion, crossing his arms and leaning back a ridiculously reckless amount. Magnus shot him a look.

"Haven't met a warlock with stronger magic than me in five hundred years." He replied candidly. Isabelle stared at him, surprised, while Jace whistled appreciatively.

"Impressive," the golden boy remarked, jumping gracefully to the floor, "I suppose then, that you wouldn't have a list of powerful Warlocks just sitting around her then?" Magnus shook his head. "More's the pity. Guess it's back to the illness then. Maybe it's one we haven't seen before?" He continued, slightly hesitantly. Magnus supposed it was possible, albeit unlikely. He had lived through eight centuries and very few magical illnesses were unknown to him. He sank down onto the couch beside Isabelle.

"If he had one though, he would have gone to the Silent Brothers. To see if they could help him. Alec hates being ill, he would not have put up with in secret, not for any long period of time." Jace continued with a frown. Magnus pondered this information; Jace was absolutely right about the illness. Alec could barely stand a simple cold, the idea of him vomiting and not trying to figure out what was wrong with him was preposterous. But he was also discreet, and if he had known what was wrong, and from the sound of what he had told Isabelle, he had, he might have gone to the Silent Brothers without telling his siblings…

But the Silent Brothers were forced by oath to share any unusual findings with the Clave… Alec must have gone to one he knew would meet him alone… keep it all silent… one that was separated from the rest of the Brothers somehow…

"Jem!" He hissed, jumping onto the balls of his feet and sprinting into his bedroom, leaving two very confused Nephilim children behind him. Rapidly, he threw open his closet and pulled out the trunk he very rarely opened anymore. "Start the pentagram again, Jace, Isabelle! We will need it!" he called to the two as he thrust open the chest and began frantically rummaging, barely refraining from damaging any of the old mementos. After a few moments of frenzied search, he found what he was looking for and withdrew a small, weathered looking wooden box. An intricate design of a beautiful Chinese woman was painted onto the cover, faded with age but still discernible.

He held the box gingerly as he went back into the living room, considerably slower than his exit. Jace and Isabelle, despite their evident confusion, had jumped at his command and the pentagram was freshly drawn, the necessary ingredients sitting in a pile, waiting for Magnus's magic to activate them. The only one that had been left out was Alec's knitted blue sweater, which they had been trying to use to find him.

"Who's Jem?" Isabelle asked as Magnus stepped carefully inside the pentagram and placed the box in the direct center, where the lines intersected.

"You'd know him as Brother Zachariah, although he is no longer a Silent Brother. I knew him before he converted; he had been a very sick teenage shadow hunter and the Brotherhood was the only way, at the time, to save his life. I found a cure for him, and he was able to rescind from the Brotherhood without fear of his body being consumed by the disease. If there was any Silent Brother who would have kept quiet about Alec's illness, it would have been him. This box belonged to him once, and it might still have enough of his presence to be tracked. My bet is, if we find him, we find Alec."

The sudden burst of excitement was tangible in the heavy air and it was with slightly shaking hands that Magnus placed the last of the ingredients on top of the fragile box and chanted softly in a foreign language, the words clipped and harsh. Immediately, a glowing light emerged above the enchantment, twisting into images that only Magnus could read.

His face was pale, stricken, but determined when he turned towards Isabelle and Jace. They both stared back at him, anxiously awaiting the punch line. "He's in Idris." He told them quietly, a million thoughts running through his mind. He knew exactly who was in that area that Jem might have been interested in and the idea was shocking. Impossible really, the old story was a legend, hardly counted as fact amongst the Downworlders. Yet he couldn't shake the feeling…

"Idris?" Isabelle echoed, snapping Magnus out of his train of thought, "but why would he be in Idris? Is there someone in Alicante who specialized in illnesses?"

"Not Idris, the shadow hunter homeland," Magnus explained, trying hard to not to snap at Isabelle for breaking through his reverie, his thoughts had been ludicrous anyway. "Cadair Idris, a place in Wales. There is a very old Warlock woman there, only a few years younger than me, who Jem might very well have known from before his Silent Brother days. He must have taken Alec to see her; she specializes in healing demon-borne illnesses, afflictions, and addictions." _And supposed male pregnancies, _he thought but didn't state. The idea, was of course, impossible.

* * *

Longest chapter! I hope you liked it. So, Alec wasn't really injured and nothings wrong with the babies besides them having very powerful kicks. I actually have no idea how painful Braxton Hicks can be or fetal movement, so if its impossible for it to be that bad, just assume its because they are magical Nephilim babies and leave it at that, kay? Also, Magnus sort of catching on, but not really. I'm kind of proud how this turned out, and I hope you all liked it. Tell me what you thought, and if you think anything needs to be improved. Thank you for reading and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	7. Chapter 7

Magnus hissed in annoyance and pain as the hot, putrid air burned his face and the sulfuric smell of failed magic assaulted his nose. It had been nearly two weeks since he had managed to track Jem to Cadair Idris and the days had passed in a blur of Conclave meetings, spells, packing, and letters. Now, Isabelle and Jace were off, jumping through the last of the prescribed hoops to get permission to search Wales for Alec, who has now considered officially missing, and Magnus was anxiously waiting, passing the time with attempted magic.

It bothered him, quite extensively, that he could not track the shadow hunter. He was convinced, the more times he tried, that it was another magical being that was blocking his spells but he had been absolutely truthful with Isabelle and Jace – he had not met another Warlock more powerful than him in centuries and the idea of Alec being surrounded by one was terrifying. He did not know if the being was help or hindrance; or even if Alec was well under the creature's wing. He remembered, all too clearly, the pale face and the thick, dark blue veins that had protruded from it when Alec had succumbed to demonic poisoning. He shuddered to think of what Alec might look like, suffering from this unknown illness and trapped by some upper demon or unknown Warlock.

He could also, a hopeful voice interred from the back of his mind, be with Jem and the Warlock girl Molly, being healed from his affliction. But, if that was the case, Magnus should have been able to track him without incident. Molly was powerful, but not nearly as much as Magnus was, and she definitely did not have the skill needed to destroy his tracking spells from this distance. Which meant that either Jace was correct and it was some disease that was hindering the spells or there was some yet unknown entity out play.

_Or known, _another voice spoke up and Magnus's magic flared with his irritation, alighting the remains of the ruined spell on fire. The idea of _pregnancy _being even remotely considered was ridiculous, but it was still an ever present, nagging thought in the back of his mind. Just to appease himself, he had sent inquiries to long time friends, some of which might have been in the suspected area the Warlock from the old myth was said to have lived in. What he had gotten back had not appeased his uneasiness; it had only fueled a fire that ought not to have existed in the first place.

He glanced at the coffee table in the middle of the room, where the newest letter, the one that had caused his initial irritation, lay. Briefly, he considered setting it on fire as well – the ingredients of the failed spell were all but ashes now, except for the black scarf that had once been Alec's. He had been careful not to ruin it, but now he was itching to destroy something else in its stead. With a glance, the letter began to smoke along the edges and almost immediately it burst into a brilliant flame before almost instantaneously dying out, nothing but black ashes remaining of the sordid letter.

He had not needed it anymore anyway; he had memorized all the important information he would have been much better off not knowing. While the idea that the pregnancy was just as absurd as it had been before the pregnancy – his correspondent made certain to add that not only were Warlocks sterile crossbreeds, but that it had been two males involved – Magnus had found out that there had been a case of a warlock being killed for supposedly cursing a young male shadow hunter to "a fate worse than death" as the conscripts apparently stated.

The Warlock had been young, less than a century old, and named Lucian. He had been born in the Byzantine Empire and had stayed there for the entirety of his life until the Shadow Hunters killed him for his apparent actions. His friend did not go into detail about what the warlock had been thought guilty of – the incident had taken place long before the accords were even thought of and even before the reparations system had been placed. But the records did include a young shadow hunter, unnamed, who had contracted some unnamed ailment after committing "inappropriate and heinous, sinful actions that no decent man, mundane or nephilim, would have partaken in, had he been in the right of mind" and that Lucian had been killed because of it.

The fact that it had even happened had been enough to terrify Magnus. The idea that he could have given Alec some form of demon disease – which was the only logical conclusion, he reminded himself sternly – was abhorrent to him and he hoped desperately that if it had happened, he was save in Molly's hands, a capable healer who, just as surely as it was true that it had happened, must have surely healed the first boy.

"Magnus! Hope your decent 'cause I'm coming in!" Jace's voice, surprisingly cheerful, rang out from the front of his apartment, shaking him out of his reverie. Before he could even respond, Jace and Isabelle were inside his living room, smiling matching grins. Both were equipped with complete shadow hunter gear and a light bag, an obvious indicator that everything went well. "We leave immediately." Jace told him, not even bothering with greetings, and still smiling. Magnus couldn't blame him; he was finally one step closer to finding his brother and had every reason to be happy about it.

Magnus grabbed the bag he had packed when he first tracked Jem successfully, and tried to banish away all the negative thoughts. He should have been happy as well – Heaven and Hell both knew he loved the boy beyond his own heart – but he could not shake the feeling that something was very distinctly wrong.

He glanced back at the table, where the breeze from the doorway had blown away the ash, leaving only the blackened scorch mark behind, and shook his head roughly before leaving behind Jace and Isabelle, who had walked out the door the moment he grabbed his bag, It was ridiculous, impossible, not true. It was just not _possible._

* * *

So I really short, kind of bad chapter and I'm sorry for that. I honestly planned it to be much longer (it had an Alec scene attached) but its quite late here now and I really don't feel good, so I hoped you at least enjoyed this part. Thank you for taking the time to read this, and I will try to update as soon as possible.


	8. Chapter 8

"It says here that some fetuses begin to suck their thumbs at thirteen weeks, or as soon as their hands can reach their mouths," Alec read aloud to the empty room, his hand rubbing his swollen stomach thoughtfully, "I hope you two never get into the habit, your uncle Max used to suck his thumb. He was four before Mother finally got him to stop. It was rather horrible," he continued. It might have been odd, for someone to walk in and see him speaking aloud to apparently no one, but he had been constricted to Molly's spare bed for nearly two weeks, only allowed up to go to the bathroom, and the only entertainment he had, besides the other three members of the house who were undoubtedly sleeping the early morning away, was Molly's extensive collection of books.

Of course, much to his ire and everyone else's amusement, Molly had only given him the pregnancy books to read. While he had learned completely unnecessary things such as how to treat a werewolf child for lupine related diseases in utero and how early one could expect a child of the Faeries to be born, he had also learned that fetuses could hear and discern certain sounds and that soothing tones could comfort them, and so had taken to reading aloud and speaking to the twins, especially if he was feeling anxious or emotional himself.

"You would have liked your uncle, I think. He'd have taught all about those mundane comics he read and the pronunciation of the Japanese names for them. You'll never meet him though, he was taken away by a very bad man over a year ago," it was strange, Alec thought, how so many months ago he had been in Alicante, preparing to fight Valentine's demon army. He hadn't even known what he and Magnus _were _then, let alone that such a seemingly short time later he would be here, in a Warlock's home without any of his biological family around him, awaiting the birth of children. _His_ children.

"He was very sweet and kind; I've never met someone quite like him, he wasn't like any of us were, me or Jace, or Isabelle. Isabelle's your aunt, by the way, and Jace is your other uncle. You might meet them one day, if I ever go back. They could teach you all sorts of things that I couldn't – if one or both of you are girls, Isabelle could teach you how to accessorize your weapons, and quite probably how to seduce demons into falling into a trap, although I might have to kill her if she ever does. And your Uncle Jace could teach you how fight dirty – he was very good at it, much better than I. And if you're boys, he could teach you all about girls, seeing as I don't have a clue. Although I'd have to kill him as well, if he taught you unsavory ways to get them – he was good at that too."

Alec's voice shook slightly, the sadness in it an obvious undertone, as he spoke of Jace and Isabelle. It hurt now, to think of them, a dull ache that thudded in his chest. It was almost as if – like Max – they were unreachable. "They could teach you all sorts of things, but they probably never will. I had to leave though – it wasn't safe for you two there; no one there has the knowledge that Molly does. She's very good at this – she's done it before. You two are kind of unique, but that's okay. You're like your father that way, really. Your other one."

It hurt to think of Magnus, much more deeply than Jace or Isabelle. His memories weren't accompanied with the fondness he held for Jace or Isabelle, just the never ending sadness. He knew the twins would never meet him – Magnus had made it so very clear that he wanted nothing to do with Alec, and Alec was going to respect that. He didn't want to put any burden on Magnus, anyway.

"Not that you two are a burden," he spoke aloud, trying desperately to steer his mind away from the testy waters. There wasn't anything more dangerous to raise his stress levels than thinking of his former lover. "Unless you suck your thumb, because that's going to be a problem. Don't think for a minute that I'll deal with tha-"

Alec stopped mid-sentence, as a tight, cramping pain racked through his abdomen. He had woken to the uncomfortable feeling, nearly an hour ago, and had merely thought it was another wave of Braxton Hicks. They had been occurring more frequently in the last two weeks and Molly had told him that, coupled with his now near constant need to relieve himself, the contractions were a good indicator that labor was going to occur soon. This contraction however, felt less uncomfortable and more decidedly painful, and lasted longer.

Alec breathed deeply as it ended, and lay on the bed for several minutes silently, both hands resting on his stomach. It might have been a bad case of Braxton Hicks, he didn't want to wake Molly for nothing, so he waited, body tense, to see if another was coming.

The pain shot through him again, resonating from his lower back to the tips of his thighs, just a few minutes later, causing a gasp to go through him, nearly inaudible. This time, he didn't wait for the pain to subside, before calling out. "Molly!" He struggled for a few moments, to sit up as he heard Molly's quick, lithe footsteps coming down the hallway.

She came into the room just as another, shorter than the last but with more concentrated pain, shot through him, making him wince. She crossed the room to him quickly, kneeled down beside him, and slid his shirt up, placing her hand on the pale skin of his protruding abdomen. She slid it across smoothly, expelling just the slightest amount of magic, as the pain ebbed away.

"I thought they were Braxton Hicks at first," Alec told her quietly as she continued to gently run her hand across his body. There had been a time where he had been uncomfortable with the cavalier way Molly had of touching his bare skin, but that was long past them now. "But they are more regular than the Braxton Hicks were." Alec was nervous at Molly's silence. He was so used to her joking, chattering nature that this quiet, mature presence was alien to him. Was something wrong?

Alec's nervousness continued for several moments while Molly inspected his stomach. His thoughts were rolling rapidly, were the babies hurt? Was his body, not equipped for child bearing, rejecting them, this late in the pregnancy? He had just been about to ask her, to demand to know what was going on, when she suddenly looked up at him, a bright, expectant smile blooming across her face.

"It seems that your babies have a mind of their own," she told him, before standing up fully, her wings fluttering excitedly. "They want out now – and from the time between your contractions, you're in for a quick labor. Let me go get the potion." And with that, she left the room, calling loudly for Jem and Tessa, and leaving Alec.

Alec's breath rose rapidly, as his nerves spiked and another contraction went through him. After many months of uncertainty and pain, it was _time._

* * *

Magnus shook away the last vestiges of the portal's magic from his body as he landed firmly on the hard packed snow of a Wales winter. Beside him, Isabelle and Jace, both quick on their feet and equipped with balance runes, landed on their feet as well. Magnus barely glanced to make sure they were following, before he took down the snow-packed road, towards a dilapidated building at the end.

"The tracking spell traced Jem to here several weeks ago. He's not here any longer though," he told Isabelle and Jace as they kept step with him. His thoughts had calmed in the time it took to prepare the portal and hear the last minute directions the Conclave had given them and he was now focused solely on finding Alec.

"If he is no longer here, why are we? Why not just do another tracking spell and follow him there?" Isabelle asked as Magnus stopped just short of the ancient mahogany door and knocked loudly.

"Because I think we need to make sure Alec was with him before we trace him down to his doorstep. He has been freed after many years as a Silent Brother and even longer as a very sickly person, and I have an inkling that, if Alec is not with him, he is spending his new freedom with a very special friend. It would be rude to interrupt their reunion for nothing, wouldn't it?" Magnus didn't really believe that; he had little to no doubt that Jem would be helping Alec, quite possibly with Tessa's help, but he wanted to get information before he chased after him.

The door opened before them slowly, revealing a petite dark haired, red skinned warlock girl who smiled prettily at them. "Nephilim! And a warlock! It is a pleasure, please, please come in!" She opened the door widely and gestured for them to enter the warm room. Magnus nodded genially at the girl and stepped into the room, hiding his amused smile with his hand as he looked at Isabelle's and Jace's shocked faces.

Isabelle had been born and raised in New York and Jace had lived long enough in the city to have become used to the curt, abrasive nature of the down worlders there. Here, in the small countryside where magic had been for a thousand years, the down worlders who worked alongside shadow hunters and provided services for them, were a lot more amiable than either teenager were used to.

"Would you three like a table? We have a very diverse menu and I'm sure we can find something you'd enjoy!" the girl twirled around them in a swirl of dark curls and flowing skirts, bubbling with excitement, as if they were long awaited family members or close friends. Up close, Magnus realized that she was not just petite, but really quite young; she looked to be about nine or ten, much younger than any warlock Magnus had expected to see.

"Or perhaps a room?" the girl added, halting her movements, and placing her hands behind her back as she stared up at them, obviously waiting for them to respond. Magnus, sensing that Isabelle and Jace were still in shock and therefore unable to answer, took charge of the situation.

"I was hoping to speak to an old friend who used to work here, maybe you'd know her, sweetheart, Abigail Smith?" he asked her, with a gentle smile. The little girl nodded excitedly, and scampered off into the kitchen area.

"Won't be but a moment sir, and I'll Missy Abby out to speak with you!" She called out over her shoulder cheerfully. Magnus smiled at her retreating form; he loved children, the innocent quality that existed in them was tantamount to their adorableness and the little warlock girl was one of the most innocent of their kind he'd ever met. Of course, seeing the small girl brought back the ideas he'd been so desperate to escape.

"What was _that_?" Jace seemed to have finally broken from his shock at seeing the young, cheerful down worlder and Magnus was relieved to have a temporary relief from his idea. His _impossible _idea.

"That, my naive shadow hunter, was a warlock child. A girl, to be exact. We don't just spring into being, you know, we start as infants just like you shadow hunters do." Jace seemed thoughtful at the idea and looked as if he was about to start asking Magnus questions when Isabelle nudged him and pointed discreetly towards the door. The little girl was back, her long skirts swishing around her legs as she skipped alongside a taller woman. The woman had fair skin and even fairer hair, the color so pale it looked nearly white in the lights of the dining area, her eyes were the iciest of blues and she was quite beautiful. Magnus would not have taken her for a warlock, if he hadn't known, with distinction, that a long and pliable serpent tail lay hidden underneath her long skirt.

"Magnus Bane," she smiled. Her welsh accent was perfect cultivated, no doubt to serve as a disguise amongst the local mundane, as Magnus knew she had been born and raised in the London area of England and not Wales, and he smiled at her gently.

"Abigail Smith. It has been a long time," he replied courteously, hiding his emotions underneath a wave of pompous manners, bending and kissing her knuckles in a classical gesture of greeting. Abby laughed delightedly; she had always liked the simple touches and it seemed like the years had not taken that from her anymore than they had taken her beauty.

"And you brought friends," she said once Magnus had released her hand, her pale eyes taking in the markings that swirled and danced around Isabelle's and Jace's bare arms. "Shadow hunter friends," she amended, her smile still genial, even as her tone took on a far more professional quality, "Business then?" Magnus nodded and Abby turned and gestured for them to follow her into the back, no doubt away from the curious eyes of the customers in the room.

"I'm looking for a friend. A shadow hunter, actually. And I have reason to believe he was here, in your fair little town, a few weeks ago. He was tall, Asiatic? Possibly with a companion?" Magnus was direct, asking his questions as soon as they were in the small store room, just past the dining room and to the side of the small kitchen. "Have you seen anyone of the sort?" Abby appeared to think for a moment, before shaking her head.

"I've been swamped with customers, haven't left the inn for months now, Lily Beth gets all our supplies from the grocers," she pointed to the small girl, who smiled proudly at having been addressed, "Her and Henry, the cook's helper, that is. And no one of that sort has been in here," she added apologetically. Magnus sucked in a breath. He knew that Jem had been here, but if Abby hadn't been out of the inn, she was of little help, and she was the only down worlder he knew in these parts.

"Well, Lily Beth," It was Jace who addressed the little girl, crouching eye level with the vibrantly colored child and surprising Magnus. "Have you seen anyone like that? He'd have marks like mine, see?" he pointed towards his skin, where the permanent runes glittered black against the light. Magnus held his breath, body tense besides Isabelle as they waited for Lily Beth to answer.

"I saw someone," she told them, her voice slightly unsure, "but his marks weren't on his arms, like that. They were on his face. Two of them, one on each cheek, like this," and she lightly brushed her fingers against either cheek on Jace's face, demonstrating where they were.

"That would be him, was he with anyone else?" Magnus stepped in, kneeling down beside Jace to address the girl. His heart was pounding, awaiting her response. Lily Beth nodded.

"Two girls. A dark haired one and a brunette." She told them. Isabelle and Jace groaned.

"Are you sure they were both girls?" Isabelle broke into the conversation, staring at the young girl.

"Oh yeah. At first, when they got here, I thought the dark haired one was a boy, because she had really short hair and was very tall. But she was pregnant. Her belly grew quite a bit, looked ready to pop; she did, when they left." Lily Beth demonstrated with her hands how large the girl's belly had been. Magnus's heart stopped and the blood rushed away from his face as he saw Isabelle and Jace exchange skeptical looks. There was no way it could have been Alec, it was impossible.

"What color were her eyes?" He asked Lily Beth, forcing the words out of his suddenly dry throat. "Do you remember?" That would be the way to settle it; Alec's eyes were very distinct.

"Oh yeah, they were hard to forget. Really, really blue, and very pretty!" Magnus closed his eyes, and breathed deeply, his hands shaking as he stood fully. It felt like his world was crashing around him.

"Do you know where they went? You said they left." He asked, his voice tight with worry and near panic. He could feel Isabelle's and Jace's eyes on him but ignored them, concentrating solely on Lily Beth.

"If the woman was going into labor or anything, they probably took her to Old Molly's place. She lives about three hours from her, and you'll have to walk it. She's got barriers up that prevents any portals into it. Likes to see her visitors coming up so she'll have time to decide to help them or not." It was Abby that answered him, her hands around her chest as she stared at Magnus worriedly. He nodded and turned swiftly from the room.

"Thank you." He called, without looking back, his mind racing. Behind him, he could hear Isabelle and Jace's quick steps as they fought to catch up with him. It must have been Alec the girl had seen but if it was that meant –

"Magnus!" Isabelle's voice broke through his thoughts at the same time that he opened the inn door and felt the cold blast of air against his balmy skin. He whirled around towards her and Jace, who both stared at him as if he had gone crazy. "What did that girl mean, pregnant? Alec can't be pregnant, seeing as he's a guy and last time I checked guys just don't start popping babies out! Yet you look as if you've seen a ghost! What _gives_?" Isabelle glared reproachably at him, her dark eyes flashing as she demanded answers. Jace stood beside her, looking far less irritated but just as curious.

"But they can Isabelle." Magnus told her, blood thudding in his ears, making his voice sound distant. Thoughts were running through his mind, whispers of a legend, images of a cat-eyed child with the angel marks across his shoulders, the words of the letter "heinous and sinful acts... unknown ailment..." The wind screeched around them as he stood there, staring at nothing as Isabelle and Jace both stared, open mouthed at him.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jace asked, his voice angry and shocked as he glared at Magnus. Magnus just stared beyond them, his heart thudding, as he answered.

"It means Alec didn't leave because of some unknown illness, Jace." Magnus told him, his voice small and faraway in the screaming wind. "He left because he was _pregnant._"

* * *

This chapter ended up a lot longer than I expected it to and I hope you all liked it. I kind of enjoyed the idea of Alec bonding with the twins, I think this chapter needed a bit of light-heartedness because the next one is going to (hopefully) be rather intense. I hoped you guys liked the way Magnus found out, I know a lot of you were looking forward to it and hope you weren't disappointed. Thank you for reading, and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	9. Chapter 9

Jace and Isabelle stared in shock at Magnus, but he just stared back at them, with an unreadable expression. It was as if a light had been lit and everything was just so _clear - _Alec's strange, erratic behavior with him, Isabelle seeing him ill, him leaving with Jem. Guilt racked through him as he thought of Alec's broken form, pleading him not to leave – if he had known about this, he would have heard him out. He wouldn't have just walked away and left him to deal with it. Why wouldn't he have told him?

"_How_? It's not possible!" Isabelle broke through his thoughts and he focused back onto the two fully, pushing away all of the unwanted, swimming emotions. Right now he needed to concentrate on convincing Isabelle and Jace and finding Alec.

"It's happened before. Or at least, that's what legend says." Isabelle looked like she was about to argue, quite possibly against the idea of basing Alec's health on legends, and Magnus hurried to continue. "It's absolute fact that a Warlock was killed five hundred years ago for actions with a male Shadow Hunter, who came down with what was called an unknown ailment. It was speculation that he was actually pregnant, but never confirmed. Either way, it's highly likely that Alec is dealing with whatever it is that the boy had."

Magnus watched as the information sunk into Isabelle and Jace. They still looked rather doubtful, and Magnus, with a deep breath, began to tell them of his other ideas, "he was sick when you saw him Isabelle and you said you never saw him vomiting again. Morning sickness in pregnancy is not an all-day occurrence, as the name might very well imply, and he could have easily hidden from your view while he was dealing with it. There are many bathrooms in the institute."

"Yes, but… how could he have known? I mean, it's not exactly something a teenage boy would have thought to check for if he was feeling sick." Jace said, his face contemplative. Out of the two Lightwoods, he seemed to be the one taking this with the most grace. Or, he was completely humoring Magnus, one could never really tell with the golden skinned boy.

"The Silent Brothers can sense the emergence of a second presence within someone. It was how female shadow hunters learned they were expecting before the advent of accurate and widely available pregnancy tests. He could have easily been told by one when he had gone there."

"Yes, but Alec refused to go to the Silent Brothers with us when Jace was missing. He's never really liked them," Isabelle said, her frown clearly saying she thought Magnus was very much insane.

"He went once, when he was spending the evening with me. Woke up from a dream, rather worried, and rushed out to the City of Bones. And there is only one Silent Brother up at any given time of the night – they plan it that way. He could have very easily gone when only Jem – or Brother Zachariah as he would have been known then – was awake. Jem's illness prevented him from being like the other Silent Brothers and he could have very easily told Alec about his condition whilst simultaneously promising to help and keep it quiet. He was that type of person, Jem."

Magnus could tell that Isabelle was finally beginning to consider the idea, while Jace looked mostly convinced. He pulled out his final point, a thought that had been terrifying him since the idea of Alec being pregnant had first crossed his mind. "And him being pregnant could explain why my tracking spells are not working."

Isabelle stared at him. "But I thought you said that whatever or whoever was stopping your magic had to be magically stronger than you…" Magnus nodded.

"I did. This child, assuming that Alec was only sleeping with me at the time of conception, would be a mixture of Angel and Demon. Potentially, the perfect mixture of magic and runes, and very strong. A Warlock child is born with its full magical abilities, if the demon parent was strong, anyway, and it is not inconceivable that such a radically different child would have the power to block my tracking spells. Shadow hunters are generally more difficult to curse or spell than Mundanes anyway." He explained.

"I don't get it though." Jace said, "Demonic blood cannot mix with Nephilim. All warlock children from a shadow hunter are born stillborn. How could this child survive?"

"I'm not fully demon. I'm half mundane, as are almost all warlocks, and that most likely plays a part. The demon blood is diluted by the human, and shadow hunter blood is, of course, much more dominant than Mundane. And, it is possible for a person of Nephilim blood to bear a Warlock child. I have met such a woman, the only of her kind, I believe. She was born to a Nephilim woman who had never taken marks – never even knew she came from such a family – and was quite powerful. Most likely you will meet her, she is the special friend of Jem's I was speaking about earlier."

Jace had turned a sort of greenish color, as had Isabelle. It was rather obvious that the idea was finally dawning on them, especially since Magnus's description of Tessa had not even registered to them, and they weren't handling it well.

"How can it – the child – even be born? I know for a fact that Alec does not have the necessary… equipment… for labor." Magnus smiled slightly in amusement. Trust Jace, a typical male, to ask that question.

"There is magic – spells and potions– that can change the gender of someone, albeit temporary. Undoubtedly, if he is with Old Molly, as Abby suggested he might, she will have the proper spellwork for such an endeavor. He will give birth the normal way. If he's pregnant." Magnus was quick to add the last part; he still did not want to believe it. The horrible aloneness Alec must have felt, all these months, if it was true was too terrible for Magnus to consider.

Jace opened his mouth to speak but suddenly stopped, clutching at his abdomen as he gasped in pain. Immediately alarmed, both Magnus and Isabelle were at his side in a moment. "What's wrong? What happened?" Isabelle demanded as Jace straightened up, slowly, clutching at his stomach with a faintly green look. Magnus thought he looked as if was about to be sick and slid slightly to the side, out of line of Jace's mouth.

"I felt that pain through my Parabatai rune again, but it didn't stop there. It was in my abdome-" Jace gasped as it happened again and both Magnus and Isabelle helped him to the ground, distinctly worried. "it's… like a… really bad… cramping pain. Like my stomach's trying to expel itself." He winced as it happened again. "By the angel it hurts! What the _hell_ is it? It's gotta be something wrong with Alec, otherwise my Parabatai rune wouldn't burn." Magnus paled slightly while Isabelle continued to look confused and very worried. He quickly did math in his head – Alec had been gone at least four, almost five months now, they had been broken up for three, and Alec had been acting strange about a month before they broke up. That put him, roughly, at the end of his eighth month if he was pregnant. Close enough to a due date for labor to set in.

"I think… please don't freak out, Jace, but I think Alec might have gone into labor and because of your Parabatai rune, you are having sympathy pains. It will hurt, if I'm right, until the baby is born, but it won't kill you." Magnus looked at Isabelle and saw, now that she realized that there was no immediate danger to her brother, that she was trying not to laugh.

He supposed, as he sat there beside Jace and her, that there was a sense of amusement in the situation. He might have laughed too, if he didn't understand all too well, what the pains symbolized. There could be no doubt now, that Alec was not only pregnant, pregnant with _their _child, but going into labor. And he wasn't there for him. Couldn't be there for him, as he couldn't leave Jace in this position and he was definitely unfit for traveling.

He wasn't there, just like he wasn't there for the pregnancy or for Alec before it. Wasn't there because he refused to allow Alec to explain; because he had decided that their love just wasn't worth it, and that they were both better off without the relationship. He wasn't there when the love of his life needed him the most, because he had been too damn stubborn. He vowed, silently, that when he finally found Alec, he would make up for it in anyway possible. He was going to find Alec and he was going to stay; was going to listen to him and try to understand and forgive him.

Because Alec had been right, he now realized, all those months ago when Magnus had walked away. Their love _was _enough. For anything, really. Magnus had just been too stubborn to realize it.

"Don't freak out?" Jace's voice, small and pinched with pain, broke Magnus out of his thoughts. "I'm quite possibly having sympathy labor pains because my _male _Parabatai is given birth to your Warlock-Nephilim hybrid child that might be more powerful than both its parents, and you want me to not freak out? What am I supposed to be? _Calm?" _Magnus's lip twitched while Isabelle giggled out right. Maybe Jace's condition was a little funny, but only because Jace was so distinctly male, and was obviously not handling the pain women around the world went through every day.

It was with a distinctly lighter heart, that Magnus helped Jace to his feet, during a gentle reprieve of the pain, and led him back into the warm comfortableness of the inn. He was determined now, to find Alec, and bring him back. Any way he possibly could. He had made his decision, finally, and knew there was nowhere else in the world he would rather be, than with his blue-eyed Nephilim boy.

He just needed to convince Alec of that.

* * *

So, I was actually planning on writing the birth of the twins in this chapter, but I started it late, and I wanted to post this tonight rather than all of it tomorrow, so you all will have to wait another day to meet them and I'm sorry for that. I also wrote this, because I felt that Magnus deciding to work things out with Alec before he saw him was important to write out, because Alec is probably going to be really terrified to see all of them if they find him, and one of them needs to be able to handle the situation well. And Alec is probably going to be a mess if he ever sees them. Also, I wrote Jace having sympathy pains because he felt the pain in his rune after Alec's scare and it would have seemed like a major plot hole if he suddenly didn't feel anything while the real labor was occurring, just in case you all were wondering about that. I hoped you guys enjoyed the chapter, thank you for taking the time to read it, and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	10. Chapter 10

Posting a note up here as a warning: this chapter is the labor and delivery for the twins and I don't know if I would necessary call it graphic but for any reader who might be uncomfortable reading about that sort of thing, just skip down to the last six paragraphs and you won't have to read any of it. I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Alec clutched his hands tightly, crying out as the pain hit again. His labor, despite having been told by Molly as being 'quick', had been going on for four hours, with the contractions coming faster and faster, and with more concentrated pain. His breathing came in short, forced pants, and his eyes were clenched tightly shut. Tessa's hand, holding a cool towel, kept swiping gently across his forehead, wiping the sheen of sweat away as it appeared.

"Almost there Alec, just hold on." Molly's voice, soft, patient, and encouraging wafted up as the pain took a reprieve and he opened his eyes blearily, panting. Molly's face appeared between his outstretched knees and she smiled brightly. Alec sort of wanted to smack her, just a little. It _hurt, _damn it. His eyes clenched shut and he hissed as another contraction went through him. If he ever saw Magnus again, he was going to kill him. Slowly, and with needles. Magnus _hated _needles.

"All right Alec; you're dilated far enough now. We are reaching the part where you are going to have to start pushing. You're body will tell you when – if you feel the need to push, do it, okay? But don't forget to breath out, nice and even, while you are doing it. Keep it controlled, sweetheart, you're in the homestretch." Alec nodded; eyes still clenched shut as the pain faded temporarily, and concentrated on slowing his breathing. They had practiced this, the breathing and the pushing, but nothing could have prepared him for the _pain._

He had to concentrate hard to keep his breathing regular as the next wave of contractions started. This one was different; it was accompanied by the need to push. So he did, pushing down with his abdomen, gasping and crying out as he did so, his torso lifting up to get more leverage.

"There you go Alec!" Molly called out encouragingly as Tessa wiped his sweaty face again. "You're doing great; just keep breathing, in and out, just like that." Alec felt tears track down his face and Tessa wiping them away, as the contractions hit again and the feeling returned. He pushed again, hard. He just wanted it _over. _

"Almost there, Alec! I promise sweetheart, just keep doing it!" Alec tried to breathe evenly, as Tessa wiped his face again.

"You're doing great Alec, so much better than I did. I nearly broke my husband's hand, when I was giving birth." Tessa whispered into his ear, smiling as she wiped his face. If Alec wasn't busy concentrating on his breathing and too tense to speak, he would have told her he would have _killed_ Magnus if he was there. But before he could, the urge hit again, and Alec hissed out his breath as he pushed again.

"Good job, I see a baby! Just keep your breathing steady now, Alec, and wait a minute before you push. Baby here needs to move gradually down, or the tissue will tear. Just breath, you're almost there, just think of holding these pretty little babies and I'll tell you when to push again, okay?" Alec nodded and focused on breathing, fighting the urge to push with his whole will. It stung now, as if something was pressing his insides past the breaking point, and all he wanted to do was be done. But he knew, or at least had some idea, of how bad it could be if he messed up now, so he forced himself not to push and to keep his breathing in even, quick pants.

"Baby's crowning now, almost there! Doing good sweetheart! Just keep breathing! Tessa, get the bulb syringe from the counter and get down here. I'll need you to suction the mucus out of the nose and mouth when the baby's face emerges. And you'll need to be here to cut the cord and clean the baby all up before the other one starts coming." Alec groaned softly, as Tessa's comforting presence left his side, and went down to where Molly sat between his legs. The contractions came again, and he cried out as he resisted the urge to push, tears falling down his face again.

"Head's out! Tessa, now please!" Alec closed his eyes, panting heavily, as Tessa ducked between his legs with the bulb syringe and made quick work of cleaning the infant's mouth and nose. He could feel Molly's hands against his body, checking the neck of the baby, as well as the baby shifting slightly, moving, he knew, into the final position for the delivery.

"Next contraction, Alec, I need a big push, okay? You're almost there, keep it up, okay? One big push." Alec nodded, face clenched, and pushed when the contractions hit, gasping as the pain intensified. "One more! Just one more and it's over! One more push!" Alec cried out as he pushed again, with all his energy, and was rewarded with the thick, lusty cry of a newborn infant. Quickly, he opened his eyes for the first glimpse of the child and was rewarded with the sight of a reddened, bloody, and screaming babe, held tight in the arms of Tessa as it cried. It was the most beautiful sight Alec had ever seen.

"Great job sweetie," Molly told him, gently rubbing his foot. "One more to go and it'll all be over. Just breathe, and nod when the contractions start again. If they don't start up again soon, I'll give you a potion to kick start them up again. Don't you worry any, it'll be over soon." Alec groaned softly, and closed his eyes, breathing deeply in the brief reprieve. He wanted to be done, to hold his babies, and to _rest. _This was way more than he had ever expected it to be.

Alec's eyes clenched and he nodded stiffly, as the pain of another contraction started again. He knew, even though he hadn't felt it, that Tessa had quickly tied off the umbilical cord of the first baby, and that she was in the corner, quickly administering the tests for vitality, cleaning and dressing the baby in the warm blankets Molly had them prepare earlier.

"Okay, Alec. The baby's close enough down the cervix that this should be much easier this time. Just keep breathing as you are, and when the feeling comes, give me a good, hard push, okay? Just keep imagining what it's going to be like, to hold these beautiful little devils." Alec nodded, and, once the urge came onto him, pushed hard. He could hear, dimly, the quiet whimpers of his first born as Tessa held the baby, and it fueled him all the more. He wanted this to be _over, _so he could just _see_ them.

"Good job! I see the head already! This is going to be very quick, I promise." Alec would have snorted derisively, if he had the breath. He had heard her say that before, and that was over four hours ago, when the contractions had first started regularly. "Alright Alec, push again when the urge hits you, big push!" Alec took several deep breaths, waiting, and as the urge hit, pushed hard, gasping and crying out as his body tensed. "Head's out!" Alec felt, once more, Molly's quick and steady head checking the neck of the baby. He also knew, as Tessa was still with the other child, that she must have cleaned the mucus from the baby's air passageways.

"Almost there, two more big pushes Alec, and it's all over!" Alec gasped and grunted, as the contractions hit and he pushed once more. His breathing hitched and he was panting again, as he waited for the contractions again. Once they hit, he pushed once more, with all his might.

The high scream of his second born hit him loudly, and it was like music to his ears, as his body relaxed onto the sheets. He was a bloody, sweaty mess, and he knew the babies weren't in much better shape but that didn't matter. He wanted them _now. _He opened his eyes to see Tessa's smiling face and a baby, wrapped in a fuzzy blue blanket in her arms. He stretched his arms out lazily and with a larger smile, she gently placed the infant into his arms.

"A boy," she told him as Molly came up behind them, holding another small bundle, this one swathed in a pale pink blanket.

"And a girl," Molly grinned and placed the second baby in his arms, rearranging his arms and the babies until he could hold both comfortably, "best of both worlds that, don't have to go through the whole bloody process again just to try for a different gender." Alec barely registered her words, so entranced with the two tiny, squirming forms.

Their face's were still scrunched up and reddened but Alec could see the light brown of their skin on the exposed bit of their chests and tiny fists – several shades darker than his own pale shade and several lighter than their other father's. He could also see the curve of Magnus's lips in the downturned ones of the twins and his own, straight aquiline nose. Their hair, soft tufts that stuck up this way and that on their tiny heads, was the same inky black he and Magnus shared. Their eyes were still clenched shut, so Alec didn't know whether they had inherited his own or Magnus's. There were no other signs of the mark of a Warlock, but that didn't matter. Alec wouldn't have cared if the two had been born with lizard tails or bat wings.

These were the tiny forms he had carried in his stomach for eight months, the same forms that he had lost Magnus because of, the ones that he had left his family and home for. And looking into their scrunched, reddened faces, Alec knew it was worth it. Worth the pain and the heart ache, worth the worry and the terror, worth the tears and nightmares. Worth everything he had done to get them there.

"They're beautiful," he whispered to the two women still crowded around his bed and to Jem, who had been kicked out in the beginning to start the ceremony given to all newborn shadow hunters and who had only just now returned. "Absolutely perfect," he said, looking down into the two faces of his children. And in that moment, he knew without a doubt, that he had never said such truer words.

* * *

So, no Magnus or Jace and Isabelle in this chapter, but you finally meet the twins! Baby boy and baby girl! I don't know how well I described the labor, seeing as I'm seventeen and have never been through it, but I tried to keep it as realistic as possible (I had about four different internet articles open about labor and multiples delivery) and I hoped it was true to form. I also hoped I captured Alec's emotions realistically. I wanted to be as if nothing else but the twins mattered, in that moment, and I hoped you guys enjoyed it. Next chapter, Magnus, Jace, and Isabelle, and hopefully names and the shadow hunter ceremony (if all goes to plan). I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, thank you for reading, and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	11. Chapter 11

"By the Angel," Jace breathed heavily, his tired body falling onto the soft covers of the bed. For over four hours, his body had been racked with horrible, cramping pains in his abdomen and a burning sensation in his Parabatai rune. Now however, the pain had stopped as quickly as it had come, leaving Jace's body taxed but his mind oddly focused. It was as if a fog had laid in between his and Alec's connection, only noticeable now, with it gone.

He could _sense _Alec, in a way he was sure he had never been able to do before. He could feel that he was well, tired, but healthy. It was strange, a presence that hung just over his subconscious, as if he would just concentrate and he would be able to reach into Alec's conscious. It was a terrifying feeling.

"Are you okay, Jace?" Magnus's voice called out quietly from across the room and Jace turned towards him. He was exhausted, Jace noted, and absolutely miserable looking. Jace knew, that Magnus was blaming himself in ways he shouldn't, for something he had no control over. Jace didn't know the whole parameters of their break up – didn't really want to, honestly – but he did understand that Alec had chosen to leave, and to hide this from everyone. He wasn't mad at his brother, not in the slightest as Jace understood all too well that desperate need to leave, when the walls came crashing in. But he also understood that Magnus shouldn't have blamed himself for this. It was still Alec's choice.

"I'm fine. So is Alec. I can feel him now, in the back of my head. He's tired, but well." Jace saw, for the briefest moment, a light flicker in Magnus's eyes as the relief flashed through him; then the Warlock's eyes were closed off again and his face impassive.

"What do you mean, you can feel him? You weren't able to do that before, were you?" Jace shook his head. He did not understand this sudden connection, so much deeper than just the Parabatai Rune could give, nor did he know how it came be. He just knew it was there and that he was going to use it.

"No. I don't know where it came from, but it's definitely there now. Like a second subconscious. I can't tell his emotions, but I can tell that he's there, and that he's okay. Like a deeper version of the Parabatai Rune." Jace glanced down at his hand, where the pale fire still flashed, hidden under extensive magical glamours Magnus had placed on him before they left, and wondered if it had something to do with it. He hadn't noticed, because Alec had been being shielded somehow, and it was now lifted. A thought crossed his mind, and he sat up quickly, startling Magnus who had obviously not expected him to move so fast.

"Magnus, it felt like a fog had been lifted, once the pain ended, and I could feel Alec for the first time. If he's really just given birth, it might have been the baby who was blocking the connection, and if it could block that, it might have really been what was blocking your tracing spells, like you thought. Try and trace him again, and found out if he's really at that Warlock's place." Jace watched the color return to Magnus's face and marveled at the change he'd seen in Magnus as he quickly left the room, searching for Isabelle, who had gone for something to cool Jace's face beyond the wet towels she had been using.

Magnus had always been a vivacious, tenacious, and powerful warlock. Jace had always admired the sheer life that exuded from him, but as he had been lying on the bed, biting his lip as the sympathy pains racked him, he had noticed the deadened look on Magnus. He had been a man defeated by worry and guilt, and the light that had returned to his face at the idea of having a purpose had racked Jace with further guilt.

Guilt, not because he had hurt Magnus or felt responsible for Alec being gone, but guilt because he did not tell Magnus all that he had felt. It was not just the connection that had suddenly snapped into being that had spurred Jace into suggesting Magnus find Alec again. It was the pains that had racked him – specifically, the way they had stopped and then started again, and the pressure he had felt bear down on his lower body between them.

He felt guilty because if Alec had truly just given birth, he knew, it wasn't with just one child.

* * *

Alec was reluctant to let Jem take the twins, still unnamed, but he knew they needed the ritual done, and immediately. So he handed them off, one to Jem, and one to Tessa, who would be assisting the former Silent Brother in the ritual. He knew, from remembering Max's birth, that he would not be allowed into the room as the rite was being performed and he sank low in his bed, Molly fretting at his side, as he waited for Jem to bring the two back.

Now that the grueling labor was over, Alec felt distinctly odd, having a completely different anatomy between his legs. It was alien, uncomfortable, and Alec was desperate for a return to normal. But he knew he would have to wait – Molly had told him the potion did not leave his system for twenty four hours, meaning he would be forced to endure this change for several more hours. It was a terrible situation, and Alec almost wished he had asked Molly to cut the twins out, in a cesarean, like mundie women sometimes had.

"How's it feel?" Molly asked him, as she wiped his sweat soaked skin with a towel. She had already magicked away the bloodied sheets and replaced them with new, fresh ones, underneath Alec, when he had still been holding the twins, and was now in the process of wiping him down, as if she was a mother cat and he her newborn kitten.

"Weird." He answered, instinctively knowing what she was talking about. And it was, he realized, not to be pregnant. He felt empty, without the twins, not as if they were gone – he knew they were in good hands, just outside the door. But as if a piece he had grown accustomed to was suddenly not where he had left it. Odd.

"Well, it takes a bit of getting used to, but I assure you, those little devils will have you distracted in no time. You got quite a journey ahead of you, being a Daddy and all." Molly smiled gently as she placed the rag down and Alec felt himself returning it, albeit sadly. He was excited to be a father, but the idea of doing it alone, without Magnus, was a daunting and sad one. He _wanted _his ex-lover to be here, to see the beautiful, perfect little beings they had made together. But he also knew, that Magnus could never know. Alec would not place him that situation, obliged to see a man he hated for the sake of children he hadn't expected or probably wanted. So Alec would do it on his own, chose to do it on his own. It didn't make it any less sad.

Alec was awoken from his thoughts by a very loud, very shattering explosion of sound, followed by a light flashing from under the door. Without even thinking about it, he was on his feet, ignoring the flaring pain between his tired, shaky legs, and almost out the door before Molly could stop him.

"Nothing to worry about," she told him with a bright smile. "I already told you, those little devils are powerful. I saw this before; when the first child went through the ritual, their magic reacted with the runes. It gives them additional protection, a gift from both bloodlines." Alec tried to shake her off. He didn't care if she seen it before, _his _children were out there, and he had no idea what had just happened. But his body was weak and Molly's grip was strong as she steered him back to the bed.

It was only when Jem returned, with baby one in tow, followed by Tessa with baby two, smiling, that Alec relaxed. He could see now, that the children were okay, and that Jem and Tessa must have already been warned by Molly on what to expect from the ritual. A flash of guilt ran through him, for not believing her, and he turned to apologize. Molly shushed him before she could and gestured for him to take the twins, an excited grin on her face.

Alec didn't understand, really, why Molly seemed so excited – the energy coming off of her was palpable – or why Tessa and Jem were grinning in such a fashion – a mixture of nervousness and excitement – until the twins were placed in his hands and he looked down into their faces for the second time, and a jolt of shock ran through him.

The first time he had looked at his children, their eyes had been closed. Now they were wide open and unfocused, like newborns' eyes tended to be, but that wasn't what shocked Alec. Their eyes were the same vivid blue as his own, but the pupil was slitted, like a cat's. It was the perfect mixture of his and Magnus's eyes – of nephilim and warlock, of angel and devil.

The magic of the runes came of the infants like waves and was mixed with a deeper, feral type of magic, the magic of their father. These children, he realized as he looked into the vivid eyes, were the perfect mixture of him and Magnus. Shadow hunters with magic, warlocks with angel blood coursing their veins. Mortals, but mortals that had never been on this world before.

They were babies, but powerful ones, Alec realized as he held the two just a little closer. He had never considered, while he had been pregnant, the ramifications that such a coupling might have. His children would be hunted, studied, prodded, _hurt, _if he allowed it.

"I won't," he whispered, staring into the mesmerizing blue, "let anything hurt you." And he knew it was true. Just like he knew, with a deep pain throbbing through him, who would be most fighting the twins.

He would have to fight his brethren, the Nephilim, to protect his children. And he would do it. Without hesitation.

* * *

I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the rest. My sister surprised me by coming over and wanting to hang out, so I had to rush this in order to post it tonight. I really wanted to reflect on the power of the twins and I think I kind of failed that, and I apologize. Still, I hoped you liked it, and that it wasn't too bad. Also, with Jace, I wanted someone to know about the twins, but I wanted it to remain a surprise for Magnus, so he didn't tell him. Next chapter will be a bit more cheerful and fluffy, I hope. Names will come up! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	12. Chapter 12

Magnus worked quickly, barely aware of Abby as she helped him engrave the runes for the tracking spell onto the bare wooden floor. The runes lacked the flowing elegance of their angelic counterparts; they were sharp lines and disjointed symbols, the language of the demons. Magnus knew them intimately; years of plying his craft and serving his own purposes had carved the runes into his mind indefinitely and he moved quickly and purposely across his half of the pentagram. Abby, despite not being as old as Magnus, moved through the intricate runes quickly and they met in the middle.

Magnus tried to smile at his old friend, but he knew the expression had fallen far flat. He was normally excellent at the intricacies of facial expressions, but the search for Alec, despite having only been involved for a few weeks, had taxed him to the breaking point. Now, his body hummed with impatient excitement as he and Abby began to work the spell. They were so _close _now, and Magnus wanted it to end. He wanted to see Alec, to know beyond Jace's assumptions, that he was well. He wanted to apologize; to hold Alec and whisper his apologies to him the whole night. He wanted to meet his child, to see a miracle he had never felt was possible.

He wanted to see his _family._

* * *

Alec smiled softly down at the little form held in the crook of his arm as he gently held the bottle to her lips. It had taken all but a few minutes after the ritual for the two infants to start whimpering and squirming and about ten after that for Tessa and Molly to determine that he was well enough to feed them on his own. He would have found it irksome, that they were fretting over him so much; if he wasn't exhausted that he actually felt that he needed it. Still, it had been rather of a relief to him when the two had left to fill out the birth certificates for the twins, and had left him and Jem to the feeding.

"So," Jem spoke quietly in the silent room and Alec tore his gaze away from his infant daughter to look at Jem instead. Jem had obviously not spent a lot of time with young children while he was a Silent Brother; he held the baby carefully, and his arm outstretched to hold the bottle was stiff with tension. Still, he smiled warmly as he looked at Alec and continued, "Have you thought of any names? Molly's going to have to have them written on the certificates before she sends them to Alicante."

Alec shuddered slightly at the mention of the Nephilim capital. He was still nervous about the whole idea, especially since the twins had opened their eyes. He knew however, that it was the law that every single child be recorded, regardless of if the parent's are mentioned, and that his name or Magnus's were not required on the paperwork. The Clave would assume that the children were born to those with Angel blood who chose to leave the shadow hunter world. Still, the idea of his children being in the archives for the Clave was a frightening one.

"Come now," Jem's soft, easy voice brought Alec back from his thoughts and he offered the man a small, embarrassed smile as he looked back at him. "Baby names can't be that daunting," Jem's pale lips were twisted upwards into a small, amused smile, but his dark eyes glittered knowingly. He knew of course, that Alec was preoccupied with things much more serious than baby names.

Alec mentally shook himself as he set the bottle down and shifted the baby in his arms into a more comfortable position. His thoughts should be focused solely on the present – not on the could have beens of the past or the what ifs of the future – and his present was his two children. His two _unnamed _children.

"I've thought of a few names," he told him slowly, carefully noncommittally, as he watched Jem follow suit with the other twin and put the bottle down. In truth, he had thought of names in great detail – it was one of the only things he had found to distract himself in the two weeks of mandatory bed rest – but he was nervous to approach the topic with any of his counterparts in the cottage. He didn't know how they would take his ideas, and had tried to put it off for as long as possible. "I've been meaning to talk to you, Molly, and Tessa about that actua-" he started but was interrupted by the opening of the door and the entrance of the two women in the house.

"Save whatever you want to say for later, Alexander. I've given you plenty of time to name these poor children, and now I've got to send these off to the Clave before the day is out. Either you give me their names now or I'll name them. And I've always been partial to the names Barthelomew and Bellatrix myself…" she trailed off purposely, grinning as Alec blanched at the idea.

"No way in Heaven or Hell, Molly, are my children going by _those_ names. You shall have to kill me first." He told her, glaring at her petite form. She just smiled wider and wagged the pen in her hand suggestively. Alec held the small infant in his arms a little tighter as he sat upright fully, pointedly ignoring Jem's suddenly worried, watchful gaze. He had just given birth, not an extensive surgery and was fully capable of sitting up without it causing panic.

"I was actually talking about that any way Molly, thank you." He told the warlock. He blushed at their curious faces, and looked downwards again. "I pretty much know what I want their first names to be, but their middle names are still up in the air. I was kind of hoping to name them after someone. Their godparents really," his blushed deepened and he took a deep breath, it wasn't that hard really. "I was hoping you would do the honors." He mumbled quietly, staring at the chubby face of his daughter. She stared back up, her wide blue eyes looking at him. _I'm doing this for you_, he thought before looking back up at Tessa and Jem.

He wasn't sure what he had thought their reactions would be but the beaming smiles that greeted him were a definite surprise. He could see from the blush that spread across Tessa's fair cheeks and the slight flush on Jem's, that his declaration came as a surprise. A pleasant surprise evidently, from their smiles.

"I'd-we'd be honored." Tessa said, glancing at Jem quickly for confirmation. Alec smiled in relief. He didn't quite know why he'd been so worried about their answer, but he had been and their beaming responses brought confidence into him.

"For the boy," he gestured towards the infant in Jem's arms, flushing slightly. It was rather silly, to have to constantly refer to the twins like that, he should have discussed names sooner than this, although he had thought he would have a bit more time before they came, "I was thinking of naming him Maxwell, and calling him Max, after my brother." He looked up at the three in front of him, hoping for any opinions of the idea. They all smiled at him and he continued, slightly more reassured. He had thought of using Max's name since he first found out he was pregnant, but seeing approval was a lot better than just thinking about it.

"For this one," he gestured towards his daughter, "I was thinking Genevieve, and calling her Ginny. It was Magnus's favorite name." He explained, carefully keeping his tone neutral. "He helped save a little girl with that name once, and absolutely fell in love with her and the name. I wanted the twins to have something from him…" he trailed off, looking down sadly at the child. It would be the only thing the girl would get from her father that wasn't genetic.

"So, Maxwell James for the boy and Genevieve Theresa for the girl?" Molly broke in, evidently trying to distract Alec from his own thoughts. He smiled at her, remembering his last idea.

"Genevieve _Molly_ Theresa. I was speaking to you, too, when I asked about being their godparents. You've done so much for them, Molly. They wouldn't be here, if it wasn't for your magic, and I want them to know that. I want you to Godmother along with Tessa." For a moment he was worried that Molly would reject his idea, but when she looked up from her hands, she was beaming widely.

"Hell of a name that is, poor girl," she said playfully but her grin was still in place as she jotted down the two names on the certificates and sent them away with a puff of smoke.

Alec smiled down at the small baby in his arms. "She'll grow into it," he said confidently before looking up and at little Max, squirming slightly in Jem's grasp. "They both will."

* * *

Magnus was smiling as he entered into Jace's room, followed closely by Abby. Jace was already up, his four hours of pain evidently forgotten, and he and Isabelle were conversing quietly. They fell silent however, as Magnus walked in, his grin barely suppressed.

"We managed to track Alec. He is in fact, at Old Molly's place," Magnus knew that wasn't surprising, everyone had pretty much agreed that was where Alec had gone. It was also not the reason Magnus was practically giddy. "We also discovered a slight weakness in her spells that prevent portalling onto her property. Using it, we can be there in less than half an hour." Isabelle and Jace immediately stood, smiles that matched Magnus's forming on their faces as they walked quickly out the door, heading to the room they knew the two warlocks had been performing the spell.

_I'm coming Alec, _Magnus thought silently as he followed the two shadow hunters out the door. His magic rose inside him, roaring in agreement to his thoughts.

* * *

I'm so SORRY for not updating yesterday! It was my high school graduation, and I couldn't find the time to sit down and write this. Hopefully, the chapter makes up for it. I liked Alec including Molly in with the names because I actually like her (for an OC). Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, thank you for reading, and I will try to update as soon as possible.


	13. Chapter 13

Molly was smiling as she sat at the corner of Alec's bed, her wings fluttering excitedly as Alec very carefully handed her the tiny baby. She had sent the birth certificates of to the Clave, carefully leaving the parents' names blank, the room had been completely cleansed, the babies fed, and now everyone was simply enjoying the new lives they were witnessing. She especially, was enjoying the twins, her _godchildren. _She had long accepted the idea that she would never have her own children; that was why she had focused so heavily on perfecting magic for pregnant women. But being asked to be Godmother, by a Nephilim no less, was an honor she had never been given.

Her smile widened as she gently took the baby from Alec and cradled her in her arms, "Darling little Genevieve," she cooed, gently stroking the small, reddened cheek. Ginny's eyes opened at the touch, and Molly was treated to the mesmerizing brightness of her eyes. They were quite stunning; everything about the tiny infant was, both infants really. There was a feel around them, an aura, that naturally drew Molly to them. Molly had always been attracted to raw power -the natural talent in a Warlock child was a pure, beautiful thing; but there was something distinctly familiar about the twins, something that stemmed away from their similarity to Alec. It made Molly wonder, not for the first time, who their Warlock parent was.

She knew he was powerful. He would have to be, for the twins to have such phenomenal raw magic. And she knew Alec did not speak of him, but that he loved him, quite possibly with his entire being. She could see that in his eyes; when he looked at the twins, or out the window, the sorrow that remained in them was unmistakable. So she knew the warlock had to be quite a person, to kindle such a love in a boy like Alec. But she also knew the warlock had broken him, almost irreparably, and had left his children, intentionally or unintentionally, and those reasons alone made Molly hate him. It was the principle of the matter, really.

Looking down at little Ginny, her mouth open as she yawned, her tiny fists outstretched, Molly shook herself. This was about getting to know her newborn godchildren, not focusing on the loathsome son of a bitch who had left them. "You're quite a pretty devil, you know that? Gonna give your poor daddy coronaries, chasing the boys away from you." She glanced at Alec with a small smirk at that, and although the boy was obviously exhausted, he managed to flinch.

"Angel, I hope not." He said; making everyone laugh, even Jem who was so carefully handling the other tiny newborn. Molly handed Ginny back to Alec and then gestured for Jem to hand her Max. He did so carefully, slowly passing the infant to her; Max madea few gurgling noises of protest before Molly pulled him close and rubbed his stomach soothingly, silencing the small infant.

Molly smiled down at the little boy and opened her mouth to speak, before closing it sharply, her heart suddenly pumping hard as her wings fluttered agitatedly. She had felt something, a spike in her wards, an alert that someone was coming. That in itself wasn't all that strange; she kept a large and profitable business going in her small cottage, although it had been closed for several weeks now, to give Alec his privacy. What was strange was how sudden and close the alert was.

She should have felt her magic building slowly, as the people approached the perimeter of her wards, some three hours' time away from her actual cottage. Instead, it had flashed suddenly, less than fifteen minutes away. Someone had tripped her wards somehow. But how?

"Molly? Molly, what's wrong?" Alec's voice, soft but worried, very worried, carried through and she gasped slightly as she realized. She hadn't expected the twins to come today, and especially not as fast. She must have dropped the wards, just slightly, when she used her magic to check on the twins and hadn't realized it in the excitement that had followed.

"Someone's tripped my wards." She said briskly, standing up and handing Max to Tessa, concentrating her magic on that area, allowing the wards to flood her senses, showing her what they saw. Three people, at least one magical, had traveled through a portal into the outer edges of her yard. They were not close enough for her to discern individual physical characteristics but she could tell that one was female and two male, and that the warlock traveling with them must have been extremely powerful, to be able to sense such a tiny slip in her wards. The magic was distinctly familiar, although she couldn't directly place it, with the weilder still so far away.

"W-what?" Alec stumbled over his words as he sat up quickly, startling Ginny who began to cry earnestly. Molly glanced at him, her magic momentarily slipping away as she concentrated on the young man. Alec was gently rocking Ginny, half-heartedly trying to quiet her as he stared at Molly, terror evident in his eyes.

"It can't be anyone wanting to harm us. The wards would've pushed them out faster than you can say your daughter's full name. But I can't say why they are here, just that they are powerful, whoever they are, to notice the dip in the anti-portal wards." Alec, who Molly had been trying to comfort, looked stricken, the flush of his cheeks giving way to a deathly palor as Ginny began to quiet down, her loud cries turning to soft whimpers as Alec continued to rock her instinctively.

"Can you tell how many there is? Genders? Anything?" Alec asked, near frantic. Molly took in his pale face and the way he held his body, the muscles tight with the tenseness that had flooded his body. Realization hit her.

"You think it's him? The father?" She asked, her own wonder slipping through her tone. She had always assumed the Warlock would be powerful – he would have to be, given the power he instilled into his children – but _this, _the power it must have took to be able to create a portal safely in the tiny niche left by the wards was astronomical.

"No." It wasn't Alec who had spoken, but Jem. He was staring at Alec quietly, and his words seemed to be directed at the young man, as if he were trying to comfort him. "It can't be him, Alec. He doesn't _know. _How could he? You hadn't seen him in weeks before you left, and no one back in New York knew either." Jem's words were convincing, but Molly could see that they held little of the calming effect Jem had been trying to instill.

For Molly, however, the words were shocking. She knew, of course, that the other father was not in the picture for the twins, but she had always assumed Alec and he had a falling out when Alec had told him he was carrying. The idea in itself would shocking for any man, not even to mention that the said man was supposedly sterile and the one carrying his children was another man. Molly had always assumed the Warlock hadn't handled it well and Alec had left. That was why Molly had hated the other figure on principle. Now however, to find out that there was a Warlock out there who didn't even know, supposedly, that he was a father was completely flabbergasting.

"You never _told_ him?" Molly demanded, staring at Alec accusingly. Alec flinched at her tone.

"No. He didn't want anything to do with me at the time, and I didn't think this would change it." He told her quietly, still rocking the small baby in his arms protectively. There was no anger or defensiveness in his tone, which Molly would have expected; only that terrible sadness. "That doesn't mean he couldn't have found out. Mag-_he's_ not stupid. And Jace is my Parabatai, there's no telling what he might have been able to gleam from the rune. I did tell you that the connection had gone awry – its so much clearer than it had been before." Alec continued, turning to Jem and leaving Molly to her thoughts.

Molly didn't concentrate on what all Alec had, instead she focused on the name that he had almost let slip. Mag- the name was familiar to her, much like the magic. It was on the tip of her tongue… Mag-

It hit her, as the foreign magic outside her cottage suddenly became clear. Magnus Bane. One of the eldest and most powerful Warlocks of their age. Of many ages. She turned towards Alec, already knowing the answer to her question.

"Magnus Bane is the father isn't he?" Alec's blue eyes filled with apprehension and shock as he stared at her, his mouth open slightly.

"How?" he choked out. Molly felt her heart swell with pity. Whatever had happened between Magnus and this boy, it had left Alec definitely heart broken and terrified.

"Because he's outside the house right now, about ten minutes away. And he's got two others with him." She told him quietly, regretting it as the apprehension turned back to terror. Alec stood up from the bed quickly, clutching his young daughter as if she were his life line, his face stricken with sudden terror.

"We have to go. I have to get out of here with the twins before he comes. Molly how quickly can you create a portal?" Molly bit her lip as she stared at the obviously terrified blue-eyed boy. He looked so _young _standing there, his young child in his arms, his other by his side in Tessa's arms. She was indecisive – part of her dreaded angering Magnus Bane, and hiding his former lover and children, if he knew aobut them, was definitely a way to incite his temper. But another part anguished at the look on Alec's face – whatever had happened must have been bad, for Alec to be so afraid.

Still, she had to ask, "Are you sure Alec? Ginny and Max are his children too. He's not going to hurt them…" she trailed off at the stormy look that crossed Alec's face.

"I know he won't. Magnus would never do anything like that. But you don't know everything that happened, all that I did. He _hates_ me. He _should_ hate me. I can't see him, Molly, I _can't._" The desperation in Alec's voice was thick, mixed with self-loathing and sadness, and his voice trembled and broke as he continued, "Please Molly, get us out of here." Alec's blue eyes bored into hers.

"What will I tell him?" Molly tried to fight, but she could feel herself loosing. The sadness that was in Alec's face, mixed with the terror and desperation, was a potent tool in his favor.

"Anything, I don't care. Lie, if you can. If he knows the truth, tell him. Just get us out of here, Molly, _please!" _The last request, paired with the worry in his tone did Molly in.

"Where?" She asked stiffly, gesturing to Jem, who was the only one with his arms free, to carve out the runes needed for the portal to be created. Alec was silent, obviously having no idea where he could go, and he turned desperately to Tessa.

"I know a place that we can stay at until everything settles," She said slowly, the hesitation that Molly herself felt clear in her voice, "just create the portal, Molly, and I'll get us all there. Quickly, before they come." Molly nodded and began to infuse her magic into the runes Jem had meticulously drawn on the bare wooden beams of her guest bedroom.

She pointedly ignored the dread that filled her stomach. She was helping a _friend. _A young friend with two newborn babies, who was terrifed of being discovered by his former lover. It was the _right _thing to do. So she ignored the feeling that she was making a terrible mistake.

* * *

Magnus felt his heart leap erraticlly in his chest as he raised his hand to knock on the old wooden door of the small cottage. It was this small, thin piece of wood that separated him from Alec and the excitement that bubbled inside him was nearly unbearable. Beside him, Jace and Isabelle glowed with the same fervor of excitement.

The door swung open before his fist could make contact with the wood and the small, pixie-like body of Molly was suddenly in front of him, her pale hair curled up into a loose bun at the base of her green neck, her wings fluttering behind her. She looked absolutely horrible, standing in front of him, a mixture of guilty and nervousness. Magnus's heart dropped. He didn't even bother with pleasantries.

"Where is he?" he whispered, his heart thudding uncomfortably in his stomach. He _had_ to be there.

"Who?" Molly's face was turned downwards as she also skipped the pleasantries, her tone curt. Magnus could sense the falsity without her actually making it.

"Alexander! He's tall, with dark hair and blue eyes, and I know he was here, Molly! He was pregnant, you don't see many pregnant males walking around, do you?" Magnus's voice was uncontained, nearly a shout, as the dread pushed through his veins. Molly looked positively shocked at his words, and her face turned a deeper shade of green, as if she was about to be ill.

"You knew?" She asked quietly, her voice both shocked and horrified. Magnus nodded.

"Yes! And I need to see him, Molly. I need to apologize. Tell him that. Tell him I'm sorry and that I'll do anything, as long as he comes back."Magnus's heart pounded. Alec had to be there, there was no other place. The tracking spell had placed him _here. _So why was Molly shaking her head, looking so absolutely horrifed.

"God, Magnus, I'm so sorry. He thought you hated him. He left with them when I told him you were coming. I don't know where they went." Magnus felt as if his knees were about to give out. Alec had left, disappeared again with their child, no doubt with Tessa and Jem, who both had an immeasurable amount of nooks to hide in. He had fleed because he thought Magnus _hated_ him.

"No…" he whispered, his world falling away, as Jace and Isabelle both cursed behind him.

Alec was _gone_. And it was Magnus's fault all over again.

* * *

PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I'm sorry I didn't update yesterday, the whole family was over for a BBQ for my graduation. I'm also sorry that I wrote Alec leaving before Magnus can find him, it was written in my tiny plot line since the very beginning, before I realized you all would want them to meet up this chapter. There's a point, I promise. Also, I got a new computer (mine broke about a year ago) and the very first thing I did was get microsoft student so that I could have word and write you guys this chapter. It also means I should be able to start updating everyday again so you don't have to wait so long again. Again, please don't kill me for this, you'll never find out what happens if you do. Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed (sort of), and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	14. Chapter 14

Molly sighed as she watched Magnus slump over in her small parlor room. He looked so defeated, as if he had lost everything. In hindsight, he really had. And it was at least partially Molly's fault. She had looked at Alec, seen the panic and fear in his eyes, and had helped him leave without even trying to get him to stay. She had thought Alec was right about Magnus hating him – she had seen how convinced he was. But now, looking at the tragic, crumpled form of the warlock on her couch, she could see clearly just how wrong Alec had been. Magnus loved the boy just as much as the boy loved him, possibly more so. He had been coming to bring them home – Alec and their children, and now, because of Molly, they were just that much further away.

"So, you have no idea where they could have gone?" the dark haired girl, Isabelle, addressed her quietly from the corner. Molly turned to her; the resemblence between her and her brother was startling – they had the same pale skin and the same dark hair, but her eyes, instead of vibrant blue, were nearly black against her light skin.

"Not really. Just that Tessa had picked it. She went first through the portal, so the others followed whatever destination she picked." Molly answered quietly. She wanted to help them, or rather, Magnus, but another part of her felt guilty for it. She kept seeing Alec's terrified blue eyes flash through her mind everytime she spoke.

"Magnus?" Isabelle turned towards the warlock who hadn't said a word since Molly told them that Alec had fleed. "Do you know where this Tessa might have gone?" Molly watched Magnus, cringing inwardly at the slow tension of his body. He looked _miserable. _

"It doesn't matter, does it?" he replied flatly, not even looking up towards them. "He'll just keep leaving, every time we get close. He thinks I _hate _him." Magnus spat the word out as if it were something filthy, the disgust in his tone palpable. Molly felt pity swell inside her; she had heard stories of the great and flamboyant Magnus Bane, but this man in front of her must have been a mere shadow of his true self. Broken and small.

"Don't be ridiculous Magnus! Of course it matters! You love him don't you?" Molly turned towards the hallway, surprised at the angry tone conveyed by the new voice. Jace, the blond shadow hunter, was standing in the doorway, his face damp, the ends of his hair curling slightly with moisture. He must have splashed his face, when he had gone to the bathroom then, and Molly could see the cold had snapped some passion back into him.

The boy glared at Magnus who was also staring at him with evident surprise, but Jace did not wait for him to gather his wits before continuing, "So Alec thinks you hate him, and maybe you've given him reason to believe that. You know what you do? You track down that asshole and you convince him otherwise!" Molly hid a smile. Right now was definitely not a time for amusement but she had to admit, she admired the spunk that was evident in the golden colored boy.

The words, although slightly harsh, seemed to have the desired effect. The ferverant color returned to Magnus's cheeks and he stood. "Tessa owns property in England. Belonged to her uncle, a shadow hunter, who gave it to her before he died. It used to be an institute but the Enclave agreed to give it to her. A thanks for saving their skins way back when, I suppose. She probably took them there." He began to pace slightly, as Molly and the others watched.

"What are we waiting for?" Isabelle demanded, standing upright. "Let's go there and get Alec back."

"Not so fast," Molly interjected, holding out a hand towards the shadow hunter. Isabelle merely raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest impatiently. "Give them a day or so to get their wits together, you show up again so quickly and they'll just pick up and leave again. And next time, it won't be so easy to find them, most likely. They'll pick a place Magnus doesn't know about, and find someone to stop the tracing spells from reaching them. Stay here for the night and trace them in the morning."

Molly turned to Magnus as she spoke, knowing instinctively that he would be the most eager but also the most logical when it came to this. He nodded reluctantly after a moment. "Molly's right Isabelle. We'll give them the day," Magnus seemed to be staring off, as if he couldn't really allow himself to be optimistic but couldn't help the swell of hope, "then we'll get Alec."

* * *

Alec sighed softly as he slumped into the wooden chair, staring down at the tiny forms of his children. Tessa had chosen some old property she owned in the English countryside; a large, old church that had once belonged to the Clave, evidently. The house still showed the grandeur it once must have held and the whole of the building was completely clean. This was due, he had realized as they entered the house, to several young people who lived and cared for the old church and who thought Tessa was a young heiress from a wealthy family.

Tessa, after introducing him and Jem to the young people, had promptly ushered Alec and the twins into a bedroom before disappearing with Jem into the town. She had returned, a few hours later, with cribs, bedding and formula for the babies.

That had been last night, and now the early morning light was weaving into the room Alec had been given, creating lined patterns on the floor and illuminating the two infants in the crib. They had cried off and on the whole of the night until Alec, desperate for anything and realizing the two were most comfortable when he held both of them, had placed them both into the same crib. They had been sleeping peacefully ever since, about an hour before, with their tiny hands intertwined. It was a beautiful sight, Alec acknowledged, but he was both too tired and too distraught to truly appreciate it.

Magnus had followed him. Had traced him to Molly's and shown up there, just hours after the twins had been born. The question wasn't so much how – Alec knew very well that Magnus could trace him practically anywhere in the world – but why? If Alec was an optimistic person, he might have thought Magnus still loved him. He knew however, that the very idea was ludacrious. One didn't leave a loved one alone, walking away while they begged you to turn around.

He had no idea why Magnus had been at Molly's and the very idea left him terrified and insecure. He was scared that Magnus might have found out about the twins, although he knew the idea was ridiculous, and worried about what Magnus might do. Perhaps he would blame Alec, tell him that he didn't want the children? Or worse, maybe he would try to take them? Alec was young, naïve, and foolish. Magnus however, was very old and very wise, much more fit to take care of children then he was.

But would Magnus do that? Alec didn't truly think so. Magnus was not cruel or callous enough to do something so malicious. But still, Alec was _terrified _that he would something. Perhaps he was merely afraid to face Magnus himself, and it had nothing to do with what Magnus might or might not do himself. It didn't matter really; he just knew that he was afraid and would do anything to never see Magnus again. He wouldn't be able to handle the betrayal and hatred he would undoubtedly find in his eyes.

He knew, without a doubt, that he would leave again, if or when Magnus showed up. He would have to. He did not want to put himself into a situation where he might get hurt again; he would not put Magnus into that situation. And he could not do that to the twins.

Below him, from deep within the ancient walls of the church, the door bell rang.

* * *

Magnus was shaking again, as he waited in front of the door. He had come alone this time, slipping out of Molly's cottage before daybreak had hit. He knew, instinctively, that he had to make this journey on his own. Jace and Isabelle, although excellent shadow hunters, would be cumbersome for this mission. He needed to do it on his own; if Alec left again, or refused him, he did not want it one happen in front of anyone. He did not want anyone to witness his failure, if it happened once more.

Magnus was brought back from his thoughts by the door opening in front of him. Tessa stood before him, shock flitting across her face, her gray eyes wide. Magnus swiftly slid his foot out, blocking the door from being shut.

"What are you doing here, Magnus?" she asked, her shock disappearing behind a quickly construed mask of indifference. She had gotten good at that, Magnus reflected, over the years.

"Just hear me out, please?" Magnus requested as he slid into the room. He had never been inside this particular institute, but it seemed as carefully generic as all the others. He knew that, not long after Tessa had inherited it, she had removed most of the things that had individualized it as a Starkweather household. He took a few moments to glance at his surroundings, before turning back to Tessa. She was staring at him, her gray eyes slightly unsure even as the rest of her face fought to remain stoic. Her eyes had always been her greatest quality, so encompassing and open.

He only hoped that the look in her eyes was enough to make her hear him out.

* * *

Alec's heart pounded and he stood, quickly, when he heard Tessa's voice. Magnus was _here. _But how? How had he found Alec, Jem, and Tessa so quickly? He had thought they were safe, far enough away from Molly that they would be given enough time to discuss what to do. He had not expected Magnus at the doorstep of the house so quickly, and from her tone, neither did Tessa. He didn't know what to do; he might have left out the window, had he not had the twins, but he did and he couldn't just leave them. He looked down at them, at their small hands intertwined and their peaceful, sleeping faces.

Angel, he loved them. He couldn't leave, not without the two before him. He would have to be silent, wait it out, and pray to a God he didn't believe in, that Tessa could keep Magnus away.

His heart pounded incessantly, as Magnus's soft voice rang out clearly in the old building.

* * *

"Hear you out about what, Magnus?" Tessa asked him, her eyes still wary. Magnus understood her hesitation. They had been friends for years, over a century really, and it had been to him that she had found solace in, all those years ago when Will died. She must have been conflicted between her friendship with him and her newfound protectiveness over Alec. Still, he took a deep breath and plunged.

"About Alec. I know he's hear Tessa. Don't try to deny it," he added, seeing her open her mouth to protest. "I'm not here to hurt him. Tessa, I'm here to _apologize." _He could see, from the surprise in her face, that she had not expected that. Obviously, Alec was not the only one convinced that Magnus hated him.

"Why? Why now? And why should I believe you? He was _broken _when I met him. Alone and pregnant, and so hurt that just mentioning your name made him cringe. Why should I believe that you aren't here to hurt him more?" Tessa demanded, crossing her arms as a determined protectivenss overran her hesitancy. Magnus inwardly winced at her description. He had never thought he had hurt Alec so badly.

"Because I love him Tessa. I made a mistake – I was scared and hurt. I have never loved anyone as much as I love Alexander and at the time, when I left, I thought he had hurt me so badly. I made a mistake, walking away. I'm here to make it right. I'm here to apologize, to get down on my goddamn knees if I have to, and beg for his forgiveness." Magnus felt his voice breaking but he continued, his voice rising somewhat, in a wild hope that Alec would hear him.

"He means the world to me, Tessa, and I was stupid, terribly stupid, not to realize it. And I'm sorry – more sorry than you can even imagine – that he had to go through all of this without me. I would've have been here for him, I _should _have been. And if you just give me five minutes, five minutes to talk to him, I will try to make up for what I've done for the rest of my life. I _love _him." Magnus finished, batting away the annoying pinch of unshed tears from his eyes. He would not cry, could not cry, when he was so close to his goal. Tessa opened her mouth, but whatever she was about to say was cut off by a new voice. An entirely familiar voice that made Magnus's body twinge with recognition.

"Do you mean that?" he turned at the soft question and his breath caught as he took in the sight before him. Alec was there, standing tentavily in the doorway. He was barefoot, his hair mused, and his face pale and haggard with exhaustion. His eyes, however, were bright. A beautiful clear blue that showed every emotion that Alec felt at any given moment. It was a beautiful sight.

"Do you mean that?" Alec repeated, his body curling in slightly, as Magnus knew it did when he was unsure or afraid. "Do you really still love me?"

* * *

Well... I don't know whether you guys will be happy (they are finally reunited, sort of!) or very, very angry that I left it there. Either way, I hoped you guys liked the chapter and (for everyone unhappy) there is no for Alec to get out of this one, next chapter they will talk it all out and (hopefully) Magnus will meet the twins! Also, I hope you guys really appreciate this chapter because I cut my finger on a tin can lid earlier and it rather hurt to write this out, but I did it anyway, because I would feel really bad if I didn't update again. Anyways, I hoped you liked it, thank you for reading, and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	15. Chapter 15

"Alexander…" hearing his name caressed from those lips was music for Alec. Magnus was standing in front of him, his tall frame draped in uncharacteristically dark clothing, a button up and pants, and looking both exhausted and delighted. It was a heartwarming sight for Alec, one he had feared with dread for the past couple months. Magnus was _here, _and he didn't hate him. Loved him, even. It was almost true good to be true.

"Do you?" he repeated softly, tugging his sleeve down nervously. He felt that if the answer was negative, he would break into a million pieces. Slowly, Magnus nodded and Alec felt the relief flood him. For a moment, it didn't matter that Magnus had left him nearly in tears, or that he had spent months without him, afraid and pregnant; all that mattered was that Magnus was here and that he still loved him. He stepped further into the room, until he was only about a foot away from Magnus, still slightly hesitant.

"I'll just be… not here," Tessa broke through the silence, making both men look at her. She flushed slightly and slid past them, quickly disappearing out of sight and into the long expanse of hallway. Alec might have laughed at her departure, if his stomach wasn't cramping and fluttering with barely contained nerves. With a deep, calming breath, he turned back to his ex-lover, surprised to see that Magnus's eyes were already fixed steadily back onto him.

"Alexander…" he repeated again, softly, raising a hand and gently brushing it against Alec's cheek, as if testing to see if he was really there. Alec huffed shakily.

"I always hated it when you called me that," he told him, stepping closer. Magnus gave a surprised chuckle before his facial expressions turned serious again. Alec's heart fluttered at the intensity of his gaze. "I'm sorry," he told him, craning his neck up somewhat to look into Magnus's slitted eyes. It always surprised him, how much taller Magnus truly was then him. "For Camille, for not talking to you, for leaving. Everything. It was stupid, foolish, and I regretted it every day since you wal-" Alec was silenced by Magnus holding up a single finger.

"Quiet, beautiful, and just listen for a moment," Alec flushed slightly at the pet name. It might have actually been worse than sweet pea. "I need to apologize. I knew that Camille twists words and that she might not have been truly honest. I knew who she _was _and I should have warned you better. I didn't, and I definitely paid the price for it. But you did too, and I'm so sorry for that. You didn't deserve to be left like that; I should have let you explain. I'm sorry, and I'll do anything you want to prove it."

Alec bit his lip, worried about testing the waters. Magnus seemed genuinely eager, but Alec was still hesitant to ask. But he _needed _the answer to his question, if not for his sake, then for the twins. "I didn't go to Camille to take away your immortality," he told Magnus quietly, looking away from his face as he spoke. The memories were still painful and forcing the words out was like pushing bile back down. "I went because she knew who you were. I was scared, I had just found out I was pregnant from Jem – Brother Zachariah – and I realized I didn't even really know you, not your past, not anything. And then you started with these weird powers that I didn't even know Warlocks could have, and I just… got desperate."

He paused there, and gently, hesitantly, lifted Magnus's hand, turning it so it faced him palm up. He traced the lines of his hand, remembering vaguely what they were from the dimwitted books about Palmistry Isabelle had made him read when she was twelve. He started to speak again quietly, tracing Magnus's life line over and over again with his index finger, "I gave birth to twins, Magnus," he heard the gentle intake of breath and felt the slight tensing that ran through Magnus's body through his hand.

"Do you know how rare that is, for Nephilim to have a multiple birth?" he asked quietly, as he looked up into Magnus's face. It was tight, he noticed, guarded suddenly. Magnus was nervous with where Alec was going. Still he answered, his voice slightly shaky with shock.

"One in a thousand," he replied. Alec nodded, dropping his hand from Magnus's.

"Very rare. But that's not the strangest thing, Magnus. Dismissing the fact that Warlocks are widely considered to be sterile, and that any demonic child carried by a woman with the Angel Runes on her, are killed, any Nephilim cross, whether it be with a Mundane or Down Worlder, are predominantly shadow hunters. The Angel blood is dominant. Yet, with our children, the demonic is equal to the angelic, with just enough Mundane blood to keep them alive."

"How do you know that it is equal Alexander, when they are still so young?" Magnus asked. There was no accusation or denial in his voice, as Alec might have expected. Just a fair bit of shock and curiosity mixed in with his still guarded tone.

"Because, when Jem went to perform the birthing ritual, the one used to protect the Nephilim mind against demonic influences, their magic collided with the runes, strengthened them, Molly said. Also," he paused at this, and made sure he was looking directly into Magnus's feline eyes before speaking again, "they have the devil's mark. Cat eyes, slitted, just like yours, but blue, like mine. The both of them. They are Warlocks, the mark proves that, but they are also Nephilim, because they could handle the ritual, where any non-Nephilim child would not have. They are both, and that should be impossible." He paused. So close to asking, he found he didn't want the answer. He knew it was necessary though, he had to know what dangers were in line for the twins.

"I was confused at first. I had no idea how it was possible, besides Molly saying she'd seen it before. Then I remembered how you could do strange things as well – summon one of the highest level devils known and awaken a witch light. It has something to do with who you are – or more precise, your father. That's what I want to know Magnus. He can't just be a normal demon, for you to be able to do what you do, and I need to know, if not for myself but for our children. I need to know so that I can try to protect them. They will be hunted, by anything and everything, when they are discovered and I know the threats my brethren and family pose. I need to know what yours might."

Alec waited for several moments, staring determinedly at Magnus. He would get his answers, or he would leave. He loved Magnus and if it had been just a few weeks ago, when the twins were still unborn, his relief would have been enough. Now though, he loved his children more than anything, and he needed to know if Magnus was willing to share parts of him he had kept secret their entire relationship, for their sake.

"I don't actually know," Magnus finally answered quietly, staring down at Alec intently. "I stopped looking after a while. I got high up enough in the demonic chain that I found myself not really wanting to know anymore." Alec raised his eyebrows at that.

"How high?" he asked, slightly hoping Magnus wouldn't answer. Unfortunately, Magnus didn't even hesitate the second time.

"To the Princes." Magnus murmured. Alec stared at him, shocked.

"Your father is one of the Princes of Hell. The _Princes?"_ Magnus stared forlornly at him.

"Or higher." He answered, eyes shifting guiltily. Alec stuttered.

"_Higher? _But higher would be… higher is…" Alec trailed off, staring wildly at Magnus, his heart pounding incessantly. He didn't necessarily believe in the devil, because to believe in Satan was to believe in God, which Alec didn't necessarily do. He knew angels were real alright, as well as demons. And he could understand the stories of Lucifer in the sense of a fallen angel, but to believe in the actual Devil was to put him out of his comfort zone.

"I can't say I know exactly what higher than the Princes are. All I can say is that many centuries ago, I summoned one and it was afraid, not of me, but of my father. There can't be many demons that inspire fear in the actual epitome of the emotion. I can also say that I can do things that no other Warlock, powerful or non powerful, can do. Past that, I don't know. I just don't." He finished quietly, and they stood in silence for a few moments. Finally, Alec broke the silence.

"By the angel, I might have slept with the Son of Satan. My mother thought it was bad when I told her I liked sleeping with men, but this?" He couldn't help it, he laughed. The idea of his mother, staunch, stoic Maryse Lightwood, finding out about Magnus's secret heritage, was ludicrous. Magnus stared at him for a few moments, before his lips twitched upwards and he was laughing too.

"I suppose it's worse than me telling her I consider myself a freelance lover, right?" he replied, blissfully happy at the suddenly joking manner that had replaced the heavy tension in the room. Alec snorted again.

"I don't know about that. I suppose we'll just have to keep quiet about both, won't we?" He smiled shyly up at Magnus, and his heart skipped a beat at the look of ecstatic shock that graced his face.

"I'm forgiven then? Because I swear Alec, I'll do anything for you and the babies. Absolutely anything." Alec shushed him. Magnus had proved himself already, by sharing the information Alec so desperately craved, and all other things didn't matter at the moment. What mattered was that they were here, with things somewhat resolved, and both very much in love.

"Just shut up for a moment, yeah?" Magnus opened his mouth, most likely to make an offended, asinine comment, but Alec pressed his mouth to his sharply, effectively cutting off any words he was about to make. Alec wrapped his arms around Magnus's neck, bringing him to his height, as he deepened the kiss slightly. It wasn't an overly passionate gesture, but it wasn't tentative by any means. His lips were strong against Magnus's soft ones, and his hands gripped him needily. He craved this, this closeness to his lover. It was perfection, the taste of Magnus, the smell of him, the feel of his lips against his, the touch of Magnus's arms around his waist. There was no place Alec would rather be, then there, in Magnus's arms.

The harsh cries of two young infants broke the moment and with a slight, breathless laugh, Alec disentangled himself from Magnus. "That's the twins, probably hungry," he told Magnus, his arms still wrapped around Magnus's neck and his voice breathless. "Come on," he told him with a large smile, as he unwrapped his arms and gently grabbed Magnus's hand. "Come meet your children."

* * *

So, the heavily awaited meeting between Magnus and Alec has finally happened, and I hope it was all you guys wanted it to be. No babies yet, Magnus will meet them next chapter I think, along with a follow-up glimpse at Jace and Isabelle, who are probably pissed at Magnus for leaving them behind. I really hope you guys liked the chapter, seeing as you all wanted this one. I wanted the part about Magnus's father in there because I think it's actually important for this story, because it sort of explains or gives an explanation about the twins. Kind of. Anyway, thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	16. Chapter 16

The twins were still crying, wailing their tiny lungs away, and every step brought the sound louder in his ears. He knew that before long, when it was the middle of the night, the sound would be aggravating, but right now, knowing that it wasn't because they were hurt, the sound was like music. It was evidence, concrete evidence, of two lives he had helped create. There was beauty in that noise.

"You ready?" Alec stopped at a large wooden door and turned to glance at Magnus. Magnus nodded, nerves fluttering, and Alec smiled encouragingly as he opened the door to reveal the room behind it. It was a wide, open room with large windows that brought in the morning light in large patches against the dark wooden floor. The walls were a soft, bright yellow and the whole room had an airy feeling of peace. That was not what caught Magnus's attention however. It was the two dark wooden cribs placed besides the large bed, from which the wailing was emerging, that caught his attention.

"Come on," Alec said quietly, and it was all the encouragement Magnus needed to walk the little distance between the door way and the cribs. He peered into one, where the crying was coming from, and had his first glimpse of his two children. The first thought that came to mind was that they were so _tiny, _lying there in the large crib, squirming in their blankets as they wailed. Their tiny fists were flinging around, their faces were scrunched up, big fat tears falling in trails down their reddened cheeks. Small hats adorned their heads, keeping their body temperature up, Magnus knew, one pink and one blue.

"A boy and a girl," Alec smiled at Magnus as he gently scooped up the child nearest him, the one swathed in a baby pink blanket. Magnus was momentarily mesmerized at the sight – there was nothing more beautiful than his lover holding their tiny child, gently rocking her. "Go on," Alec broke through his thoughts with another shy, crooked smile, and Magnus looked back down at the second baby. Gently, with a care one would give to a very fragile, very important heirloom, Magnus picked up his son and held him against him for the first time.

The small body was warm, wrapped up as he was in the tiny blue blanket. His crying had slowed as he felt the presence of someone holding him and Magnus rearranged his blanket carefully so that it covered up his small fists again. He rocked him gently until the whimpering stopped and was rewarded by his first glimpse of his son's eyes. They were more startling than he imagined – that vivid inky blue that he had fallen in love with surrounding the slitted iris he had grown accustomed to in himself. They were unfocused, as all newborns' eyes were, but Magnus still had the unshakable feeling that he was staring up at him, curiously.

"Hey there, handsome little devil, I'm your daddy. Well, your other daddy, really. Guess we'll have to work that out soon, won't we? It'll get confusing if we both go by the same nomenclature, huh?" Magnus smiled as the infant yawned widely, stretching his small fists against the soft blanket. Gently, he jostled the baby so he was cradled in the crook of one arm, and lifted the other to brush against his cheek. His skin was soft, perfectly smooth, and the touch made him make the tiniest cooing noises. Absolutely breathtaking, his child was.

"You look good, with a baby in your arms." Alec spoke quietly, hoarsely and Magnus looked up to see Alec watching, his vivid eyes slightly dark as he watched Magnus with the newborn. Magnus smiled fondly at the flush that grew across Alec's cheeks as he noticed him looking. He leaned over, careful to keep the newborn from being squished in his arms, and softly pecked Alec on the lips. It was a chaste, quick kiss and when he pulled away he noticed that the small boy in his arms was squirming uncomfortably, as if the kiss had made him discomforted. Magnus couldn't help but grin.

"Just like your daddy. He's not too comfortable with public displays of affection either," he told his son with a mischievous grin towards Alec who glared. "That's okay though," he told the baby as he looked back down, "maybe your sister will take after me, flirting with everyone in sight and all that. Of course, once you reach your teens you won't have a choice, I'll find you a nice girl, or guy if you prefer, to date, if I have to."

"That's enough of that!" Alec told him quickly, blushing fiercely. "He's only a day old; we don't need to be talking about _dating_!" Magnus laughed. Everything was heightened now, in his exuberant state, and teasing Alec was more satisfying than it had been before.

No doubt sensing that Magnus was not about to let the discussion drop, Alec switched subjects hastily. "Do you want to hold her now?" Magnus looked at the tiny pink bundle in Alec's arms. He wanted to hold his daughter, but he was also very reluctant to let go of his little son, whom he was already incredibly attached to. Alec smiled, no doubt understanding Magnus's reluctance, gestured towards the large wooden chair placed between the two cribs. "Sit there and I'll give you her, you can hold both."

Magnus smiled at the thought and hastened to the chair, sitting down swiftly and sifting the baby already in his arms so that he could hold both. Alec, with a large smile, gently placed the other infant into Magnus's waiting arms. Magnus smiled down at the small face and little hands peeking out under the. It was remarkable, how exactly alike the two infants were; the only difference was the color of their blankets.

"Hey pretty girl, it's so nice to meet you," he cooed. "What's your name?" he asked softly, rocking back and forth gradually. It was rather silly, he reflected, that he had not thought to ask Alec earlier.

"I'm not sure if you'll like them…" Alec stated slowly and when Magnus looked up from the twins, he could see the sudden hesitancy that was in his lover's expression. He looked simply adorable, standing there with shy blue eyes in his too big sweater, biting his lip unsurely.

"I'm _sure _I'll love them because you picked them." Magnus told him sincerely, "As long as they aren't something entirely ridiculous like Benedict and Bellatrix, anyway." Magnus added jokingly. Alec stared at him, his mouth open slightly. "They aren't are they?"

"No! It's just those are the names Molly threatened to give them when I was taking a while to give her their actual names. I was just surprised that you'd mentioned them, that's all." Magnus smiled and then raised a single eyebrow, staring at Alec and wishing he would just get on with it. "I named our boy Max. Maxwell James, after my brother and the twins' godfather," Magnus looked down at his son and smiled.

"Hello there, Max. I'll have you know, your daddy named you after two amazing people. Your Godfather Jem is one of the kindest, patient people I've ever met. I never actually met your uncle but from what I heard of, he was a very sweet, very cool little boy. I'll also tell you, your daddy Alec _is_ the sweetest, kindest boy I've ever met, but he's also very, very silly, for thinking I wouldn't like that name," Magnus sneaked a grin at Alec. He rather liked this, being able to tell his thoughts to the babies rather than Alec. It was fun, seeing the looks that would pass across his lover's face when he thought he wasn't looking.

"You however," he turned to the second baby in his arms as he spoke, "I'm a little worried about, seeing as your daddy hasn't told me your name yet." He looked at Alec, who smiled bashfully.

"I thought about you when I named her," Magnus raised his eyebrow but waited for him to continue, "Remember that little girl you helped? The one with the red hair and the green eyes?" Magnus nodded, wondering what she possibly had to do with their daughter. "You told me once, that you thought her name was absolutely precious. I-I wanted them to have something from you, if they – if they never met you. So I named her Ginny. Geneveive Molly Theresa to be exact, but its much easier just to call her Ginny."

Magnus didn't say anything at first, because of the lump in his throat that had suddenly grown. He just looked down at the twins in his arms for a moment. Finally he spoke, "Hello, Ginny. I already told Max this, but I want you to know too. Your daddy is amazing, and don't you ever take advantage of him, okay?" He heard Alec chuckle softly at that and smiled up at him.

"You are amazing, don't you ever think otherwise, Alexander. Now take one of these babies so I can get up and kiss you, to prove how amazing I think you are." Alec gave a full-blown surprised laugh at that and reached down to scoop up Max from Magnus's arms and placing him back in the crib. Magnus followed suit with Ginny and took a moment to admire the way the twins seemed to curl into each other slightly, before turning towards Alec.

With a large, relieved smile, Magnus grabbed him by the hips and twirled him erratically, causing another shocked laugh and a gasp to escape Alec's lips before he firmly pressed his own to them, cutting off all noise Alec might have made.

He loved Alec, with all of his heart, it had just taken him a while to realize that. It didn't matter though, how long it took, because he was here now, and there was nowhere else he wanted to be more.

* * *

I'm sorry it took so long to update (again); my aunt had to go to the hospital for surgery and I'm watching her three children while she's there. Anyway, I know this chapter is short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I decided to have it just be Alec and Magnus because (1) I thought it would be nice to just have a cute, fluffy chapter with the daddies and the babies, and (2) its sort of late and I'm really tired and have to get up early. So, I apologize, hope you liked it, thank you for reading, and will try to update again as soon as possible.


	17. IMPORTANT NOTICE (AND QUESTION)

So, this is not a new chapter, and I'm sorry about that (please don't report me!). I just wanted to put out a quick notice that I'm still very much working on this story (I actually quite like the way this is going) but I won't be updating for a few more days because my aunt just had surgery to take care of an abscess and I have to help out with her three children, which doesn't give me a lot of time to work on the next chapter. I will have it up by Friday, at the latest (even if I have to stay up all night Thursday). I really hope you guys aren't mad at me and I'm really sorry!

Also, really quick, I have a question for all of you reading this. A reviewer (A Really Gay Spider) mentioned writing hiding the twins as a sequel, so my question is would you guys like that as a sequel, meaning they're would only be one or two more chapters in this one, and then I would start posting the sequel, or do you want it all contained in this one story? Please tell me.

Again, I'm sorry for the extended wait and will have the story up by Friday, at the latest.


	18. Chapter 18

I AM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT! I know I said this would be up yesterday at the latest and I'm really sorry for breaking that promise, but I hope you enjoy the chapter regardless. Also, hopefully I have all your attention for this, I want to thank A Really Gay Spider for being awesome and helping me and giving me awesome ideas for this story and the next (I decided to go ahead and finish the story in a sequel which is also thanks to A Really Gay Spider.) They are very brilliant and deserve LOTS of praise, which I shall attempt to give with every chapter, as well as telling you what ideas were theirs (such as the sequel) and what ideas they greatly helped on!

* * *

The babies had been fed after Magnus finally released Alec and let him get the bottles, and were sleeping peacefully in their large crib. Magnus marveled at the way they slept, their tiny chests moving up and down rhythmically, their small bodies curled ever so slightly towards each other. He knew the silence would not last long. He had been around newborns before; they slept a few hours and woke screaming for something or another. He was surprised however, to realize how much he truly looked forward to being there to comfort his infants in the middle of the night.

"Get some rest," he told the boy at his side without looking away from the miracle in front of him. He knew Alec must have been exhausted after the past day, at least, and he thought he could handle the twins for the time it would take for Alec to rest.

"I'm not that tired," Alec replied, the lie harsh in his voice. Magnus broke his gaze from the twins to raise an eyebrow at Alec. Now that the excitement at seeing his lover had worn off, Magnus could see the circles under his eyes that shone like bruises on his pale skin and the tense way he held his body, as if relaxing his muscles would make him collapse. Magnus had seen the look on him once, after the battle in Idris, when Alec had sat vigil at Max's body all night. He brushed the memory aside and pulled Alec into his arms, chuckling lowly at the surprised and indignant noise that he roused from him.

"You're practically sleeping on your feet doll," Magnus murmured into his ear, enjoying the pink flush that spread across Alec's face and neck.

"Doll?"Alec scoffed, turning slightly in Magnus's loose embrace to glare at him. He just smiled and pulled him closer. "_Doll?" _Alec repeated. Magnus laughed.

"I rather like it, actually. It suits you," Magnus said, running his hand across Alec's pale cheek, absentmindedly. "Pretty and delicate, like a little porcelain doll," he murmured softly, watching the pink hue of Alec's cheeks darken in embarrassment.

"I'm a shadow hunter! I hunt demons and monsters. I _kill_ things! I have scars! I'm nothing like some preteen's doll set! And I'm not _pretty _or _delicate!" _Alec huffed, pushing against Magnus's arms to try to get away. Magnus knew that, physically, Alec was stronger than him and if he truly wanted to, could easily break from his embrace so he continued to hold on to him.

"You are pretty, very pretty, actually for a boy. You're slighter than most shadow hunters," Magnus expounded on that by wrapping his arms tightly around Alec's slim waist. He had not gained much, he reflected inwardly, of actual weight from the pregnancy. "You have pale skin that contrasts strikingly against your dark hair and that blushes easily when you are feeling shy, embarrassed, or irritated. And you have equally striking blue eyes, which you know I adore. So yes, you are very _pretty_. And delicate has nothing to do with physical strength, in your case, but your demeanor. You're innocent, naïve, and an absolutely endearing sweetheart. You kill, sure, but you don't really enjoy it. Although, I'm not going to lie, you can be a right vindictive bastard at times, like when you poured holy water in the vampires' bikes at my party that one time." Magnus grinned at the memory of meeting the young boy for the first time, and how striking he had thought him then.

Alec was not swayed. "Don't you dare start calling me that Magnus. I swear to the Angel if you do –" but whatever Alec was threatening was cut off by a quiet knocking and the door to the makeshift nursery being opened. Both men turned to see Jem at the doorway, smiling serenely and seemingly unaffected by catching them in a seemingly intimate pose. Alec flushed and pulled away from Magnus who was laughing silently at his reaction.

"I hate to interrupt," Jem spoke calmly, his lips twitching into a small amused smile that Magnus knew he shared, "but there has been a message from Molly that I thought you two would be interested in. Something about a no-good, sneak warlock running off and leaving two idiotic, angry shadow hunters in her house." Magnus knew, by the way Alec suddenly tensed beside him, that he had quite forgotten that his siblings had also been with Magnus, looking for him.

"I'll go and get them, before Molly curses them into frogs or other unsavory creatures. You rest," he poked the tense form of Alec, breaking him out of his reverie. Alec shook his head with enough vehemence to surprise both Magnus and Jem.

"No don't!" Magnus raised an eyebrow, silently asking the young man to explain. He thought he would be happy, or at least content, to see his siblings after such a long stretch away from them both. "The twins, who knows how they will react? What if they want to turn them into the Clave? They'll be studied, considered an anomaly. What if they will want to _kill _them? Jace and Isabelle can't come here!" Magnus frowned. Alec was very obviously worried about the Clave and Magnus knew it was for good reason. Still, he also doubted that Jace and Isabelle would ever do anything that could potentially hurt Alec in such a way.

"Then I'll go talk to them. Make them vow not to do anything drastic or go to the clave, in exchange for coming here to see you. They already know though, that you were pregnant," Alec stared, horrified at his words and Magnus felt a stab of pity, "Jace had sympathy pains while you were going through labor. He thinks it might have something to do with your Parabatai runes altering somehow, becoming stronger. Either way, they haven't gone yet, and I can make them promise not to do it, if it would make you feel better."

Alec was silent for several moments, obviously surprised and distraught at Magnus's revelation, and it took him a while to gain his voice again. "They don't know about the magic though. That changes things, doesn't it? They can't be passed off as purely Nephilim and that's going to raise problems. It's their duty. Mine as well actually, as shadow hunters loyal to the clave, to report such anomalies. They can be punished if they don't do it."

Magnus shook his head. "They aren't going to turn them in Alec, not if there is any chance that the Clave will hurt them. Just let me talk to them. You're tired and you need to rest. Let me go talk to them while you sleep and then when you wake up we can discuss what they said. It isn't fair to not tell your family Alec. At the very least let them see _you. _They've been worrying nonstop." Alec bit his lip as Magnus spoke but shook his head at the end.

"I don't want you to go talk to them, Magnus. Stay here and watch over the twins. _Please?" _Magnus huffed and crossed his arms.

"They want answers now Alec. I'm not going to stay here and wait for you to be ready to confront your family. If I don't go to them, they'll just come here and then we won't have a choice on what they know."

"I'm not asking you to wait for me to be ready. I am ready, but…" Alec paused, suddenly unsure and averted his gaze. Jem had quietly retreated back from the room, most likely to give the two privacy and it was only them and the quietly sleeping twins in the area.

"But what, Alexander?" Alec looked back up into Magnus's face and Magnus could tell that Alec had reverted back to being distinctly uncomfortable.

"I want to do it myself." He bit out finally, glancing up at Magnus as he wore his bottom lip through his teeth.

"You need your rest," Magnus responded immediately. He wasn't going to let Alec get out of his rest. It was so obviously necessary that it was almost tragic. Alec just shook his head.

"You are right about Jace and Isabelle, but if they want explanations, I'll give them. That's final, I'm going." Alec glared defiantly up at Magnus. Magnus bit back the smile as he noticed the way his blue eyes flashed darker in his determination. He knew he was losing now, and that Alec would get his he way. Perhaps he'd regret letting Alec go by himself but he also knew that Alec was right in that he needed to do it on his own.

He pulled him towards him again, craving the touch of the slim body he had been missing over the months, and kissed him tenderly. "You win," he told him with a smile as he pulled away and left the boy slightly breathless. "Go talk to your idiot siblings, _doll_." Alec glared at him as he left the room and he laughed lightly as the door closed with a light click, leaving Magnus standing alone.

His heart was heavy, once the laughter fell, and he sat in the large chair between the two cribs. There were problems, he knew, that he and Alec were going to have to pass in order to get their happy ever after, and the Clave and Nephilim were only the tip of it. He looked down at the small bodies and sighed softly. He knew that despite their inherent magic, the twins were mortal, just like Alec. Eventually, many years in the future, he would lose all three of them. It was an inevitable occurrence. Like everyone else he knew and loved, they would succumb to the fate that all mortals faced, and leave him to walk alone, never aging, never dying, or an eternity.

"There is a way," he spoke aloud, watching the twins' chests rise and fall in what he knew to be a limited amount.

"God, I hope so," a voice rang out behind him, light and feminine. He turned slightly from the twins, to stare instead into the sad, gray eyes of the only person he knew that had felt the pain he knew he would feel, if he did nothing. "I'm not watching you go through this, and I don't want to stand by and watch as another person I love grows old and dies I stay the same. So what's the plan?" Tessa folded her arms and stared expectantly at Magnus.

He turned back to the twins, a new light feeling blooming in his chest at the thought of not doing this alone. He would never have told Alec, not with the messy ending of their relationship still so vivid to the both of them, and the idea of having someone, especially someone who was just as adamant in the process as himself, was very appealing.

"We find a way to kill ourselves," he replied, the macabre words sounding shockingly cheerful.

* * *

Again, I am very sorry for the wait and I hope the chapter was worth it. A Really Gay Spider helped with the way this chapter is shaped, and the ideas that will sort of finish this story up, as well as form the next one, although I can't tell you how yet, so again a big thanks! I hoped everyone enjoyed this chapter and I will try to update again as soon as possible. Thank you for reading.


	19. Chapter 19

Alec took a deep breath and pulled his dark, baggy sweater tighter against him. The air was still freezing around him and the fresh snow crunched under his feet as he walked slowly towards the small cottage. He had made his own portal with Clary's rune in the gardens of Tessa's old house and had landed several hours away purposely, taking the long walk to think through what he was going to say. He had not seen his siblings in months and he had no idea how to talk to them about the twins, even after the two hours' walk. Before he could even knock, the door opened with a bang loud enough to make him wince slightly, and Molly was glaring at him, her vivid green hands placed firmly on her hips and her wings fluttering irritably.

"Seems everything worked out for you and lover boy. Fantastic, now get in here and work it out with these two imbeciles before I turn them into frogs and give them to the local mundie high school for dissection!" She pointed angrily into the house and Alec silently entered it in front of her, self-conscious. He had never seen Molly so irritated before and he felt a stab of guilt. He knew Jace and Isabelle both could be handfuls with their abrasive personalities and Jace's sharp tongue, but he also knew Molly would not have been so easily offended and that the only time Jace and Isabelle were especially unbearable were when they were under stress or extremely worried.

He had never wanted to hurt his family, although he knew it would most likely be an inevitable occurrence when he packed up and left in the middle of the night, but he had never considered the worry they would feel or how far they would go to bring him back. It was both heartwarming to see how much everyone cared and heart breaking to know the pain he must have caused them.

He stopped just short of the entryway to the small living room, silently peeking in over the frame. Jace and Isabelle were in the room and his heart nearly stopped at seeing his siblings for the first time in months. Isabelle, beautiful as ever, was tossing her thick black hair over her shoulder impatiently as she watched Jace pace the floor. Jace, in his part, was pacing the floor angrily, like a lion trapped in a cage.

Looking at him now, with his golden hair tousled in the way Alec knew meant he hadn't slept well, and his body tense, the thick corded muscles straining minutely underneath his thin shirt as he walked, Alec could remember why he had thought he loved him. Jace was beautiful, beautiful in a way that a wild lion was beautiful as it stalked its prey. He had been drawn to the magnetism that was Jace and he still felt the strength of that pull, but it pulled him in a completely different way than before. His love for him was truly no more than a brothers' love, and the sight of him, pacing as if he was helpless, because of Alec, was painful. Just as painful as it was to watch Isabelle sit on that couch, worrying.

It was the pain that only came from hurting someone he truly loved, like when he had hidden the truth about Magnus from everyone. Knowing how well that had almost turned out gave Alec the strength he needed and without thinking about what he was going to say or even the danger his siblings currently poised towards his children, he stepped into the room.

* * *

The sudden movement immediately caught the attention of both shadow hunters, trained as they were to hone in on small changes and Jace was momentarily speechless. Alec, his tall and thinly muscled body tense with nerves, his skin pale as ever but flushed with the cold, his eyes bright with a sort of anxious excitement, as if he was both happy and terrified to see them. What with what Alec was going through the past nine months, Jace could almost understand the reasoning. Still, his hand clenched tightly and the glamour across his skin flickered, revealing the golden fire shimmering just beneath the surface of his skin.

"I should beat the hell out of you, Alec." He glared, his golden eyes staring into the face of his Parabatai as he spoke. The worry was gone, now that his brother was in front of him, obviously more or less well, and a cool sort of irritation had replaced the fear. He wasn't exactly angry, but there was a definite frustration at Alec.

Alec's lips quirked upwards in a sort of half-smile, shy and embarrassed, like a child whose hand had been caught in the cookie jar. Jace nearly snorted. Obviously, it wasn't Alec who put his hand in the cookie jar in his and Magnus's relationship. "Like to see you try," he retorted, crossing further into the room. Jace's mouth did twitch like that. This was the Alec he knew. Not the shy, frustrated, angry boy who felt he had to hide from everyone, but the sarcastic, pain in the ass older brother who always made sure he came back from fighting demons in one piece.

"I can hit you now, no babies on board," he gestured towards Alec's stomach and watched as the slight happiness in Alec's expression dimmed down further into the anxiousness. "What?" he asked, reading the apprehension on Alec's face. By his side, he noticed as Isabelle stood, obviously recognizing the minute changes in their brother's expression. "Did something happen to them? Your – uh, babies?" He stumbled slightly over the word, not quite used to the idea of Alec having given birth even though he had sure felt it.

"No!" Alec shook his head frantically, as if the idea itself was too horrid to imagine. "They're- they're fine. Perfect really." Jace nodded, all the while noticing how Alec didn't quite look in their faces as he spoke. He was afraid, Jace finally connected, scared of his own two siblings. Why, Jace couldn't fathom, but it was obvious that he was.

"Then let's go see them," Isabelle said, slipping easily into a graceful and happy smile, adding just the right amount of excitement for it to nearly be believable. Jace had known her for years now though, and he knew the ploys she made to get beings to fall into her grasp thoroughly

"You can't." Alec said immediately, evidently just as used to the tricks as Jace was. His words confused him. Alec came, anxious and afraid, after Magnus left them high and dry at the warlock's house, and now he was refusing to let them see part of the reason they had come so far. "I can't let you guys. I'm sorry." Alec looked apologetic, and that made it all the worse for Jace.

"And why the hell not? We came this way before we even knew what the hell was wrong with you. I mean, by the Angel, Alec, we didn't even believe Magnus when he told us what he thought was wrong with you. It took Jace going through some crazy hard sympathy pains for us to finally get it. And now, you're telling us we can't even meet them? What's next, you telling us you aren't coming home?" Isabelle glared at Alec from over Jace's shoulder, angrier than Jace remembered seeing her in a while and in her frustration, must have missed what Jace didn't.

Alec had looked down. Half a fraction of an inch, to be fair, but it was still movement. A tell, one that Alec had as long as Jace had known him. Every stunt they pulled from boredom, every lie they told to get out of trouble, Alec always avoided eye contact, always dropped his head in minute shame. He wasn't going back.

"Why? What's going on?" Jace watched Alec, noticing his every movement. He was biting his lip again, worrying the pink flesh between his bottom teeth nervously.

"I can't go back Jace. I only came here because if I didn't Magnus would, and I – I wanted to see you guys one more time," Alec looked up, straight into Jace's eyes and he knew that surety he displayed.

"Alec, we can help. Whatever it is, whatever's happened, you don't have to run away from us. You're my brother Alec; our brother," he gestured towards Isabelle, who nodded emphatically, "and you'll do anything for us. Hell, you practically did everything to bring me back when Sebastian had me. It's time for us to return the favor, we'll help you, just tell us what's wrong!"

"You can't help Jace! What I'm doing – what the twins are, it's against Covenant rules, you disobey the Clave and you'll rot in whatever hole they throw you in! I can't – I won't let you do that!" Alec paled as he finished speaking, obviously regretting his words. Jace was surprised and he fought hard to keep the shock from his face. Alec had gotten pregnant, obviously accidently seeing as how shocked every person involved was. It wasn't on purpose, he didn't work some dark magic from the depths of hell, and he doubted being a father was real high on Magnus's to do list either.

"They'll understand Alec! And if they don't, we'll make them! By the Angel, we'll make them learn that those children aren't any danger. They're infants, for the Angel's sake!"

"They won't stop to listen, Jace! They will know that they are magical and they'll kill them! I can't go through that! I won't do it!"

"Of course they're magical! Unless, of course, you've been sleeping with some scarlet man of the night and never told me, in which case, shame on you for not telling me about your first illicit experience with a denizen of seduction, we could have shared notes." Jace couldn't keep the sarcasm from his voice as he addressed his brother, glaring all the while. "In case you haven't realized, your friend, the girl one, has a demon father and a Nephilim mother and the Clave never went after her to kill her. Magnus told us all about it. We can make it okay."

"Jace, it's not just like that! They won't even hesitate! They'll take one look and they'll kill them! Just like if they were demons!"Jace shook his head.

"Why? Why are you so convinced the Clave will kill them without even giving them a chance?" Jace's frustration faltered, just for a moment, when he saw the look in Alec's eyes. His blue eyes were staring straight into Jace's and he was no longer biting his lip. Jace could see the fear, the fierce, primitive fear that could only come when someone you loved was truly in danger.

"Because, Jace, they have the Devil's Mark. The Clave might excuse some things. But there's no way they're going to excuse Demon marked children with angel blood. All they'll see is another Sebastian. And they'll kill them before they'll take that chance again."

* * *

I'm so sorry for the wait! My aunt's been in and out of the hospital but she's (hopefully) on the mend again and I'll try to update more regularly. Once again, a BIG thanks to A Really Gay Spider for not only betaeing this, but for giving amazing ideas for the end of this story as well as pretty much the majority of the sequel. Any way, I'm sorry if you guys were mad about the wait, and again, I'll to update more regularly, and I hope I didn't lose any of you guys to the long breaks. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and I'll update again as soon as possible, thank you!


	20. Chapter 20

Tessa sat gingerly on the bed, careful not to jostle too roughly and make the old bed creak. Surprising for its age, the bed was comfortable underneath her, soft where her body ached ever so slightly. She was tired, from the excitement of the births and the almost immediate escape, to the return of Magnus and now Alec leaving alone to confront the-Angel-knows-what, it had all happened so quickly, it had left her weary

In her decades of life, she had never felt her age until now. Sitting beside Magnus, for the first time in years; however, and more still, in the presence of two sleeping infants, made her feel all the older. She had never imagined this happening again; had never even conceived the notion that another immortal could go through the pain she had. The loss of her husband had been painful, almost unbearably so, but the mere idea of losing her children had made her run. She had thought, when she first saw Alec, so sickly, so distraught, so very human, that she would go through it all again. Go through the deaths, the pain, the heartache. She had told Jem she would work with him to save the boy, but she knew there was no saving, not in the true sense of the word.

There was no safety from fate

But now, Magnus was offering a way out. Not a way to stop the fate that befell all mortals, but a way to join it. For years, she had watched those around her suffer, some close friends, some mere strangers, and it had been like the first time she changed, over and over again – the physical sharp pain of thousands of tiny pins stabbing into her mixing in with the mental pain of knowing she was not quite the same, had never been quite the same, as those around her. Now though, there was hope.

Hope for a better future. Of course, technically it was no future, if all went well, but that was a moot point in all reality. She could enjoy her life with Jem, actually age in ways she had not done in over a century. And she had one of the most powerful warlocks working with her for the cause.

"Do you have any idea how to go about this? I mean, is it truly possible?" Tessa finally addressed Magnus again, keeping her voice low and soft so she didn't disturb Ginny or Max. Magnus wasn't looking at her, he was too transfixed in the minute movements of the infants' chests. Tessa didn't blame him – when her first child, James, was born, she and Will had watched him the whole first night, as he slept.

"It's definitely possible." Magnus glanced at her quickly, his multicolored eyes flashing determinedly, before turning back to the babies. "It's just very dangerous, Tessa."

"I've done dangerous before, Magnus. And you know I can handle it." Tessa kept her voice low but interjected enough vehemence that Magnus looked up at her, slightly startled.

"I have no doubt that you can handle it, Tessa, but that isn't going to stop me from warning you. This is a different kind of dangerous. This is depths of the Downworld dangerous. It's summoning demons that haven't walked this Earth in a thousand years dangerous. And even if we get passed all of that and manage to retrieve all the necessary ingredients, the ritual itself is so deadly, only one Warlock is said to have survived it, and he has been dead for well over a century. I want you to fully realize what you are getting into." He turned to smile at her, his amber eyes flickering mischievously, "I know you'll do it. You were always reckless, you know, very much like a Shadowhunter."

Tessa smiled back at him, her gray eyes alight with an excitement she couldn't quite describe, "When do we start?"

* * *

Alec's chest heaved slightly as he watched his words take effect on Jace and Isabelle. He hadn't meant to reveal so much and was already regretting that he had. He shouldn't have come here, all he was doing was hurting the two all over again, and who knew what they were going to tell their mother when they went back to New York. It would have been safer for the twins to have not come anyway.

"That can't be… that's not possible! Demonic blood can't mix with the Nephilim runes; they'd have to be completely shadow hunters or they can't survive!"

"Well, that's a load if I ever heard one. Saw those babies myself, eyes blue as one daddy's and slitted like the other. And of course, I knew one before that, too. It's quite possible, in very rare circumstances, although I don't have a clue why. So, instead of arguing over what's possible and what's not, why don't we figure out a way to keep them safe, huh? 'Cause it seems pretty clear to me, although this idiot" she shot a half-amused, half-aggravated look at Alec, "doesn't believe that you will do anything to help your brother, which now includes taking care of those two babies, so let's work on how we are going to do that, because there's no way in hell Alexander's gonna let you anywhere near them until he gets a clear promise and a plan to protect his children. So any ideas?"

Alec stared in shock at Molly, a look he could see was mirrored by both Jace and Isabelle. He hadn't necessarily forgotten Molly was there but he had been so involved in the conversation with Jace and Isabelle, that her presence had fallen into the back of his mind. Now; however, she was working to help him again, and striving for a compromise. He hadn't thought of trying to come up with a plan with Jace and Isabelle, but the idea certainly had merit, if they could agree on one anyway

"Are they really marked?" Jace asked, keeping his attention on Alec. Slowly, Alec nodded, holding his breath for Jace's response. Surprising him immensely, Jace just nodded and turned back towards Molly, his handsome face schooled into a carefully blank expression.

"Well, I don't have a damn clue what to do, and I'd rather think Izzy and Alec are in the same boat, so what's your grand idea on keeping the little demons safe?" His voice was carefully professional, without any hint of emotions he must be swirling in.

"We kill Alec." She answered back simply, the words coming out calmly despite their severity. "Not really of course," she added at seeing their shocked faces, a bit of a laugh escaping from her lips as she smiled. "He'll go into hiding in reality, but to the rest of the Clave, he'll have died from some cause or another, most likely a disease. They're easier to fake after all. All we'd need to do is create a body, which should be simple enough between me and Magnus."

"Absolutely not!" Isabelle interjected, her face horrified. "We can't do that to Mom! Not after Max dying, it's horrible!" She glared at Molly angrily. Molly glared just as fiercely back.

"Well, if he just continues hiding out, the Clave is going declare him dead eventually. At least this way she gets a sort of closure," Molly retorted, her hands on her hips as she glared at Isabelle.

"Fake closure! What happens if he wants to come back, if it becomes safe for him to come back? He wouldn't be able to, and Mom would think she lost two of her sons, it would devastate her! Alec," Isabelle turned to her brother, "you can't do that to Mom. It would crush her."

Alec thought about it for a moment, contemplating the idea. It had merit of course; no one would look for him if he was dead, but the idea of forcing his mother to go through that pain of burying another child, never even knowing it wasn't real, was horrible. He shook his head, "We have to figure something else out, Molly. Isabelle's right, I can't do that to my mother."

Molly stared at him for several moments, her wings fluttering irritably. "Well," she said finally, "what do you plan to do, then? You want to keep the twins safe, but you don't want to hurt your mother either. You're going to have to come up with something then."

"He comes back to New York City, of course." Jace broke through the silence that followed Molly's words, he said his words matter-of-factly, as if there was no other choice. Alec stared at him, alarmed

"I can't Jace! The twins can't be discovered by the Clave. What am I supposed to do, hide two infants in my bedroom and pray to the Angel that Mom never hears them?"

Jace smiled mischievously. "Something like that, yeah. Although I was thinking more along the lines of your magical boyfriend's apartment but if you want to live dangerously, I guess we could always put silencing runes around your room. Or, on your babies."

* * *

So, I hoped you guys liked the chapter. We are getting close to the end now, and the start of the sequel (which thanks to A Really Gay Spider, I have an actual plot line for!). The whole conversation between what Molly wanted to do and what Jace had was actually a conversation I had with A Really Gay Spider who came up with the idea that Jace has. A Really Gay Spider also added in the final "Or, on your babies" part during betaeing so they get a really big thanks (again) for all they've done to help! Anyway, thank you all for reading, and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	21. Chapter 21

Jace grinned in amusement at the shocked looks everyone was giving him. He had known Alec would be difficult – he had always been ridiculously stubborn, it was the Lightwood way after all – and he had spent the whole night thinking of ways to convince him to come home. Admittedly, the demon-marked twins had put him through the loop but he knew Alec well enough. Alec would want to come back home but he would feel too afraid after everything that had happened. He would worry about what Maryse would say or what the Clave would do.

Which is why Jace had come up with the plan in the first place. He could keep his brother and his family together, and keep his little nieces or nephews safe. He could keep them together and safe. And it was all just ridiculously simple

"Well, don't leave us hanging, boy. Is that all you came up with?" Molly's piercing eyes met his, her wings flapping incessantly. Jace had never been so grateful that Magnus only had the cat eyes than the day he had spent with Molly. The damn things were disconcerting

"I've planned ahead. For one thing, I know that Alec is going to beg Maryse for forgiveness, because she's bound to be pissed when he comes back healthy and whole. For another, I know how we're going to keep the Clave away from Magnus' apartment whilst maintaining the relationship the high warlock has with them. But, I figured that we'd wait until we at least had – I don't know, the other father in the vicinity before we go about discussing the future for your children, just a suggestion you know

Alec had the decency to blush slightly at the comment, but straightened up immediately. "Jace – I told you, you can't!"

Jace resisted rolling his eyes. Alec had always been skittish – he never killed because he was always too busy making sure he and Isabelle were safe – and now he was a new father, to magically gifted Nephilim children, and that had to make him crazy. Still, Jace nearly rolled his eyes; Alec was, nevertheless, annoying.

"I swear to Raziel, Alec, I will not do anything to harm my nieces or nephews. I will never turn them into the Clave, or go against them in anyway, you have my word, and Isabelle's as well." He looked to Isabelle who nodded instantly, her dark hair swaying slightly as her head bobbed.

Alec stared at them for several moments, his bright eyes pacing back and forth between the two before he finally spoke, "Niece and nephew. I don't think they'll appreciate it if you go in without knowing their genders. They're Magnus' kids too, after all. Real uppity about that kind of thing."

Jace smiled, again, in amusement. "Let's get going, then. I want to show everyone my sheer brilliance."

* * *

Magnus immediately stopped talking once he heard the low voices in the hall. He stood up quickly. He could tell from the multitude of various tones that Jace and Isabelle had won the confrontation between Alec. How it had happened so fast, he would have liked to know. Knowing how to deal with a stubborn Alec, quickly, no less, would be useful in the future.

"Is that them?" Tessa asked quietly, standing up to follow Magnus out the door. Magnus could see the slight hesitation in her face; she was about to meet a descendent of hers, and most likely had no idea how to go about it. She had gotten over the similar appearance between Alec and Will fairly quickly, from what Magnus could see, most likely because they were polar opposites in all things apart from protectiveness and stubbornness, but Jace was a blood relative, not to mention very similar to his ancestor. Magnus couldn't blame her for being nervous.

"Yes." He answered mimicking her tone, briefly brushing his hand against her back in a comforting gesture, "Let's get down here before they tear the house apart. God only knows what those three can do once they get together." Magnus smiled slightly at the amused grin that spread across Tessa's face and lead her out the door, carefully shutting the door to the bedroom so that the twins wouldn't wake.

The low voices grew louder as Magnus and Tessa descended from the grandiose staircase and into the former parlor room that Tessa had painstakingly had converted into a relatively modern living room where few of the old Starkweather touches remained. Jem was standing just slightly off the entrance way, smiling benignly at the Lightwood children.

Alec was at ease, Magnus first noticed. The tension that had been in his body before he left was gone, replaced by the elegant sort of grace that all the Lightwood children innately possessed. Whatever his siblings had said to convince the boy had clearly worked, and Alec smiled shyly at him from across the room.

In contrast, Jace and Isabelle were both alert and tense in the presence of Tessa and Jem. Magnus had to stifle an inappropriate chuckle at the way Jace made covert, suspicious glances at Jem's tall figure. If he had known that Jem was the very Silent Brother who had watched over him constantly as he slept off the effects of Sebastian's control, he might have been less suspicious. Or more so, one could never tell with a Herondale.

"So, Alexander lost then?" Magnus questioned cheerfully, ignoring the dark look Alec shot him. He knew very well that Jace and Isabelle were going to be annoyed; he had left them in an unfamiliar place without any warning, after all, but it didn't seem to matter to them at that moment, seeing as neither appeared angry. They were both smirking slightly, looking entertained.

"I didn't lose," Alec protested, "I just… conceded the issue on the basis of Jace having actually created a decent plan." He added, blushing slightly and tugging at the frayed end of his baggy sweater. Magnus smile grew and he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed as he watched Alec.

He would never get tired of watching his lover's facial expressions: the rosy hue that graced his cheeks, the light that danced in his eyes, the way his lips twitched upwards slightly even when he was trying not to smile. He could spend an eternity memorizing the subtle cues in Alec's face, but he would take the lifetime he would get, if that meant he could go with him when Alec left.

"So, what's the plan then?" Magnus asked, tearing his gaze away from Alec, who had begun to flush darker under the attention.

"Well," Jace mirrored his movement on the opposite side of the room, leaning against the entryway with several more glances towards Jem and one curious glance towards Tessa, "I figured Alec could return to New York City with the twins. The twins stay at your apartment, that way no one in the Clave finds out about them, because you've cut yourself away from them, so its not like they're going to be banging on your door anytime soon, and even if they do begin to request your aid, we can easily convince them to send us or Alec, seeing as we are closer to you, Alec especially. We tell Maryse that Alec left because he was distraught at the breakup and needed time away from everyone and that he came back because you finally tracked him down and told him you still loved him, which is the truth, more or less. He moves in with you and the twins, and we continue to track down Sebastian. It's not the best plan, well, it is, because I came up with it. Okay- it's not the best plan I've ever thought up, but it beats the alternatives. And we can figure the rest out as we go."

Magnus nodded, "What were the other plans?" He was split fairly in the middle on the plan. On one hand, he would love to take the twins back to New York and give Alec back at least some of his old life, but on the other, he wasn't too keen at potentially exposing the twins to people or beings that would be all too willing to hurt or use the children for their benefit.

"Killing me or hiding me." Alec answered bluntly, "I couldn't put my mom through the pain of burying another son, even if it wasn't real, and if I just continued hiding, the Clave would just write me off as dead, and it would be the same problem. This way, my mom can at least be content, even if she doesn't understand all of it." Magnus nodded. He knew quite well how much Alec's family meant to him and the idea of anyone putting their own mother through such an ordeal, no matter the reason, was repugnant.

"So, we go home." He said with a dry smile, "where people will no doubt continue to try to kill us and where our children will have to be hidden constantly for their protection." At Alec's suddenly apprehensive expression, Magnus added, "Not like I'm complaining. Keeps my life interesting at least, everyone knows that newborns get boring after the first few days, after all." Almost on cue, a loud wail echoed from an upstairs bedroom, followed quickly by another. Alec gave a short, surprised laugh and Magnus grinned. Fatherhood would most likely never be boring.

"Come on," Alec told his siblings as he crossed the living room, "you want to meet your niece and nephew, right?"

* * *

Sorry for the wait, I hope you enjoyed the chapter though. Again, a very large thank you to A Really Gay Spider for betaeing this and giving amazing ideas. The next chapter is the LAST one and then the sequel will be up, although I have no idea what to call. Thank you for reading and I will try to update again as soon as possible.


	22. Chapter 22

The babies' wailing grew louder as Isabelle watched her brother slowly open the door. The room in front of her was flooded in the pale, frosty light of midmorning and she could clearly make out the two dark cradles placed carefully against the base of the large bed. She was a bit surprised that the wailing was coming from only one of the crib but all such thoughts left her mind when she saw her brother gently lift a tiny bundle from the midst of the large cradle.

Isabelle couldn't really see the details of the tiny creature Alec cradled carefully, but she was entranced at the gentle way Alec rocked it against his chest, calming the small thing until the shrieking turned to small whimpers. She turned away from the sight when she noticed Magnus gently lifting a second bundle from the bed and cradled it against him until it quieted.

"There, there," she heard Magnus coo to the small infant – a girl she corrected herself, as she was swathed in a pale pink blanket – and couldn't help the smile that crossed her face. It was an endearing sight, seeing someone so seemingly in control of everything around them brought down by such a tiny thing. "Did you frighten yourself, baby girl? Or did your brother frighten you?" he shot a teasing, accusing glance at the bundle in Alec's arms, which was still whimpering quietly against his father's chest.

"I think it was him, although I would appreciate if you didn't turn them against each other before they've left the cradle," Alec shot Magnus an annoyed glare as he gently set the infant on the bed and unwrapped the blanket from his body, awarding Isabelle her first real glance of the child. His face was scrunched up – either in discomfort or fear, Isabelle couldn't tell – but she could see that his skin was otherwise smooth and a healthy tanned color – lighter than Magnus's skin but definitely darker than Alec's. He also had tufts of fuzzy, baby fine black hair that had escaped the small hat he wore around his round head.

Isabelle wasn't much for babies – she wasn't exactly the maternal type, even when she had dotted on her baby brother – but she could not deny that the tiny, scrunched face of the newborn was absolutely adorable. Even as he wiggled and cried and batted his hands against the air as Alec gently unbuttoned the bottom of his outfit and unclasped the sides of his diaper.

Isabelle watched as Alec handled the infant with gentle, expert care. She had thought he would be unsure or weary around such a small thing but he changed his son quickly and efficiently before arranging the blanket back around his small body. Seeing the expert way he handled the baby brought back the dim memories she had of infant Max. She had been too young to truly care for her younger brother at that age but Alec had been eight years old, and perfectly capable of changing diapers and cuddling the infant when he was upset. Obviously, he had not forgotten the care his mother had taught him.

"You should probably change her, Magnus, before she's handed off to someone. I doubt Jace or Isabelle would appreciate holding a newborn with a mess in her diaper." Isabelle made a face at the thought. She had slight difficulties recalling Max as an infant but had no trouble remembering the stink his diapers carried during the toilet training stage and had no desire to hold an infant without a clean diaper.

"You need a change sweetie?" Magnus cooed towards the small girl in his arms. She batted her small fist against the confines of her blanket in response. Isabelle smiled and stepped forward towards the bed, suddenly very eager to meet her niece.

Magnus grinned at her briefly, before putting the tiny girl on the bed. Immediately the little girl began whimpering and batting her arms around the loosened blanket, just the way her brother had when he had been put down.

"They really are twins," Isabelle said, frowning slightly as the baby's whimpers turned to a loud cry. Magnus chuckled slightly as he removed the blanket and began to undress the little girl. The crying continued, and Isabelle could hear the whimpers begin again from the infant in Alec's arms from where he stood beside Jace. Isabelle briefly looked towards the two; Alec was rocking the small baby and talking to Jace quietly – his voice low enough that Isabelle could not discern all the words although from Jace's hesitant expression and the way Alec held the fussing baby towards their brother, she could guess the topic.

Isabelle turned back towards Magnus and her little niece when the crying reached a crescendo. Magnus had taken off her diaper and the little one was unhappy, her whole body wiggling. "She's got some lungs," she stated, wincing slightly as the volume increased. Magnus gave another chuckle as he gently slipped the new diaper under the infant's body.

"Yes, she really does. I'd say she'd gotten them from me, but Alexander can get rather vocal when irritated as well, although his is mostly indignant spluttering and various shades of blushing."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Isabelle asked, choosing to ignore the comment. She had always hated the sound of children crying – she did not like the idea of someone so tiny suffering or the idea of having no way to help them.

"Certainly, take her hand." Magnus directed as he finished clasping the sides of the diaper. At Isabelle's hesitancy, he gently grabbed her hand and placed it besides the infant's. "Now, take your finger and gently rub her fist. She'll do the rest."

Isabelle did as directed and gently rubbed the tiny fingers. Almost immediately, the baby unleashed her tight fist and wrapped it around the large finger, tightly grasping it as her cries returned to a soft whimper. Her hand was warm against Isabelle's finger, and incredibly soft. It was an amazing feeling.

"She's got quite the grasp," Isabelle murmured as she tested the baby's grasp, gently moving her finger and feeling the baby tighten her small fist around it. Feeling more certain that the infant would not start crying at her simple touches, Isabelle gently ran the fingers of her free hand against her cheek, marveling at the smooth softness. The baby made an odd sort of noise, and opened her eyes slowly.

Isabelle gasped softly as she gazed at the slitted eyes. They were a brilliant blue, every bit as bright as Alec's were, and every bit as catlike as Magnus's. She suddenly understood her brother's fear. No one could look at this child and think of her as normal – Isabelle could see the potential in the unfocused eyes of the newborn and knew that others would be frightened of the endless possibilities brought on by the girl's unique birth rights.

"She's beautiful, Magnus," she breathed finally, stroking her hands against the baby's face some more, enamored at the feeling that was passing through her.

"Absolutely perfect," Magnus agreed, the smile evident in his voice, "meet your Aunt Isabelle, baby girl," he directed towards his daughter, rubbing her stomach assuringly, "Isabelle, meet your niece, Miss Genevieve Molly Theresa."

Isabelle smiled at the name. It was a beautiful, powerful name – one that she had no doubt the child would grow into. "Welcome to the world, Miss Genevieve," she whispered quietly, her hand softly cupping the rounded cheek as Ginny's electric eyes gazed around in the softened daylight.

* * *

Jace had put up quite the fight – he was terrified, after all, that he would hurt the tiny thing held so tenderly in his brother's strong arms – but he had lost spectacularly, and was now gazing admirably at the tiny body he held gingerly. The baby was squirming in his blanket slightly, unused to Jace's arms, but he wasn't fussing terribly and Alec was watching him closely.

Jace could admit freely that he had never really felt any love for newborns – a baby a year old, certainly, one could play with them and teach them things that others would scold them for. A one year old could run around and dance, could roll in the grass and play small games. A newborn, however, was a terrifying creature – tiny and utterly dependent on others to move it, play with it, cuddle it and feed it.

That was why he was so surprised to feel such a fierce sense of love towards the tiny, warm body. This was a little human in his arms, the tiny son of his brother, his darling nephew. He had sworn to Alec he would protect the baby before he had even met him but now he knew, just as certainly as he would do it for anyone he loved be it Alec, Isabelle, Clary or anyone back home he was close to, that he would lay his life down for the tiny thing.

He had fallen for the blasted creature, he realized, fallen harder than he ever thought he could for something so completely helpless. "By the angel," he breathed out softly, staring closely as the baby opened his eyes in his arms. They were every bit as startling as Alec had warned they would be and Jace could see the concern Alec saw, but he couldn't help but wonder how anyone could look into the electric orbs and feel anything but awe for the infant. "He's beautiful. You have a freaking beauty of a son," the shock in his tone caused a surprised chuckle from Alec and Jace looked up briefly to see his brother.

Alec must have been nervous before, most likely still unsure how Jace would react to the child – but now his face was completely relieved and open, an easy smile breaking across his face. Jace returned it with his own grin.

"His name's Max." Alec supplied quietly, "Maxwell James, after his uncle and his godfather." Jace smiled back down at the baby who had finally stopped wiggling and was now gazing about in the unfocused wonder only a newborn could possess.

"Hello there, Maxie. I'm your uncle Jace. You gave us all such a scare, you and your baby sister, but I'm glad your daddy Alec gave me the chance to meet you. Welcome to the world, little angel." Max wiggled slightly again, his tiny body squirming as Jace held him tightly against his chest. "Welcome," he repeated softly.

* * *

Alec was nervous. More nervous than he had been in his entire life – more than when he had met Magnus, or gone on his first date with the man, more so than when he had decided to come out in front of everyone on the eve of battle, more so than when he had gone into labor. He hadn't much time to prepare for this moment – it had hardly been a week since the twins were born, and Alec had seen them settled into the new nursery in Magnus's apartment before he had left.

He knew, at this very moment, that his siblings were helping move Tess and Jem into the suddenly vacant apartment adjacent to Magnus's and that Magnus himself was working to create a permanent portal inside the apartment, an escape route hidden inside Tessa and Jem's home, far enough away from the Clave's eyes. God, he wished he could be there, although he knew distinctly that Magnus would not allow him to help much. He was still "recovering" as Magnus so fondly put it, and would not be allowed to do much of the actual moving. Still, anything would have been better than standing outside the large, wooden door, panicking slightly.

But he knew he would have to do it, and with one last silent prayer, he knocked quietly before turning the brass knob and pushing open the heavy the door to reveal the thin, dark haired women sitting behind the oak desk placed square in the middle of the room. She had looked up at the knock and her brilliant blue eyes were opened wide in shock as she took in the sight of Alec, healthy and whole, just inside her doorway.

Alec took a deep breath and stepped further into the room, stopping just off the front of the large desk. "Hello mother," he stated quietly, his hands tensing slightly against his sides as he stared into his mother's unbelieving, face, "I've come home."

* * *

Hello all! First of all, I would like to thank all of you who read this entire story. This is officially the last chapter but look closely for a new update within the next week, for the uploading of the sequel. This chapter was unbetaed, as I wanted to get it up today because I am going camping and would be unable to upload it for a few days otherwise, so any mistakes belong to me and not the amazing beta/idea person I have which is A Really Gay Spider. A really big thanks goes out to A Really Gay Spider for the ideas and help and a big thanks, again, for everyone who read this story, and I hope you all enjoyed it (even the sort of evil cliff hanger that is the ending). I really enjoyed writing this fanfiction (it was my very first mpreg story) and I hoped you all enjoyed reading it just as much. Thank you everyone and I will update this one more time to alert you to the sequel that I hope you will want to read, and I will try to have that up as soon as possible. Thanks again!


	23. Chapter 23

So, I have the first chapter of the sequel done and betaed, but A Really Gay Spider and I have run into a problem. Neither of us has a clue on what to name the sequel. So, I'm asking any of you that might be reading this for ideas on the name. As soon as I get one, I can upload the sequel, so please help!

UPDATE: Just wanted to tell everyone that the sequel "A Darker Path" (title courtesy of A Really Gay Spider) has now been uploaded. I hope you guys enjoy it!


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